BOSTON — Aaron Judge socked a two-run homer, and Luis Severino tossed seven scoreless innings as the New York Yankees defeated the Boston Red Sox 3-1 on Wednesday night at Fenway Park.
Judge, who was celebrating his 25th birthday in his first game at Fenway Park, has a team-leading seven homers and 15 RBIs for the Yankees (12-7), who had lost three of their previous five games.
The right fielder became the third Yankees player to hit a birthday homer at Fenway and the first since Roger Maris did so on his 32nd birthday, Sept. 10, 1966.
Severino (2-1) limited the Red Sox to three hits and two walks while notching six strikeouts to earn his first career victory against Boston. Greg Bird also drove in a run for New York.
Reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Rick Porcello (1-3) struggled with his command, walking four while allowing all three runs (two earned) on five hits in 6 2/3 innings. He struck out nine.
It was Porcello’s first start with at least four walks in a span of 88 regular-season outings dating back to May 29, 2014, when he walked six against the Oakland Athletics as a member of the Detroit Tigers.
Chris Young drove in a run for the Red Sox (11-9), who have dropped four of their last six.
Judge launched a first-pitch fastball from Porcello into the bullpen in right field with a runner on first and nobody out in the second.
The excitement continued for Judge in the bottom of the third when the Yankees’ right fielder went barreling into the stands in foul territory chasing a fly ball.
The call on the field was no catch, but replays showed that he caught the ball and the ruling was overturned after a challenge by New York manager Joe Girardi.
Bird gave the Yankees a three-run lead on his line drive off the Green Monster in left with two out in the sixth, allowing Judge to score from second.
Dellin Betances relieved Severino in the eighth and pitched a scoreless frame with two strikeouts before Aroldis Chapman came on for the ninth.
Andrew Benintendi walked and Mookie Betts doubled off the wall in left to put a pair of runners in scoring position with nobody out.
Young’s groundout plated Benintendi from third to put the Red Sox on the board. Betts took third on a Chapman wild pitch with Hanley Ramirez at the plate.
Ramirez walked, but Jackie Bradley Jr. struck out swinging and Josh Rutledge also fanned swinging as Chapman notched his fifth save.
Rutledge teased a walk-off, three-run homer on the second-to-last pitch of the game, but the ball sailed well left of the foul pole on the Monster.
NOTES: New York and Boston entered Wednesday’s game having split their last 166 meetings over the past nine seasons (83-83), with the Yankees going 42-42 at Yankee Stadium and the Red Sox going 41-41 at Fenway Park. … Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia (left knee sprain) did not play despite manager John Farrell saying he would have been available had Tuesday’s series opener not been rained out. “I did some activities yesterday, kind of tested it out a little bit. Just a little sore,” Pedroia told WEEI.com. Pedroia was injured on a controversial slide by Baltimore 3B Manny Machado on Friday. … Boston RHP Matt Barnes dropped the appeal of his four-game suspension for throwing at Machado on Sunday in retaliation to his slide. … Yankees RHP Masahiro Tanaka (2-1, 6.00 ERA) counters Red Sox LHP Chris Sale (1-1, 0.91 ERA) in Thursday’s series finale.
White Sox 5, Royals 2
CHICAGO — Avisail Garcia hit a two-run, go-ahead home run and Jose Quintana struck out 10 as the Chicago White Sox completed a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals with a 5-2 victory on Wednesday.
Quintana earned his first win of the season after allowing only one earned run and scattering five hits over six innings. The outing marked the eighth time in his career that Quintana (1-4) has struck out at least 10 hitters as the Royals dropped their seventh straight game.
Garcia snapped a 2-2 tie in the sixth inning with a two-run homer after the Royals tied the game in the top half of the inning. Garcia’s shot came with two outs and after Royals starter Nate Karns got back-to-back groundouts following Melky Cabrera’s leadoff single.
Karns (0-2) allowed four runs and seven hits and struck out five over six innings.
Brewers 9, Reds 4
MILWAUKEE — Cincinnati’s Scott Schebler hit two home runs, but Wily Peralta struck out seven batters and Milwaukee jumped on Rookie Davis early to finish off a three-game sweep at Miller Park.
Back for the first time since taking a pitch to the arm and landing on the disabled list on April 11, Davis (0-1) allowed seven hits and a sac fly to open the game, just the third of his big league career.
Ryan Braun tagged him for a two-run double during that first inning, part of a two-hit day. Jett Bandy led the team with three hits but Eric Thames, who has belted a majors-best 11 homers, exited the game with a tight left hamstring.
