Cole, Carpenter send Yanks over Red Sox 13-2; Sale hurt

Gerrit Cole brushed back Rafael Devers and struck out 12, Matt Carpenter drove in three more runs and the New York Yankees pounded the Red Sox 13-2 Sunday after Boston ace Chris Sale broke his left pinkie finger in the first inning.

The Yankees reached double-digit runs for the 16th time — no other team has more than 10 such games — and cruised into the All-Star break with a major league-best record of 64-28. Their 64 victories matched the 2018 Astros for third-most prior to the break since the All-Star Game started in 1933.

Cole (9-2) dusted Devers off the plate with a low, 99 mph fastball on his first pitch to the third baseman after allowing two homers to him July 7 in Boston. Devers glared at Cole from the dirt, then struck out swinging at a high fastball.

Cole permitted two runs and three hits over seven innings for his fourth straight win.

Aaron Judge singled twice and finished the first half with a major league-leading 33 homers, tied with Roger Maris for the franchise record before the break. Judge reached 33 homers in 89 games while Maris hit 33 in his first 83 games in 1961 on his way to breaking Babe Ruth’s single-season record.

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Judge, Anthony Rizzo and DJ LeMahieu were hit by pitches after Cole knocked down Devers.

LeMahieu was in considerable pain after being hit in the left elbow during the eighth inning and left the game, but manager Aaron Boone stated there wasn’t an injury concern.

Carpenter had an RBI groundout in a three-run first inning and added a two-run double in an eight-run fourth. Carpenter drove in 10 runs over the final two games of the first half and has 34 RBI in 31 games since joining the Yankees on May 26.

Tim Locastro hit a two-run homer off Jake Diekman in the fourth. On the one-year anniversary of suffering a torn ACL in his right knee crashing into a wall in foul territory against Boston, Locastro went 3 for 5 and stole two bases.

LeMahieu and Judge started New York’s big inning with RBI singles and then scored on Carpenter’s double.

Aaron Hicks hit a pair of RBI singles, including the hit that fractured Sale’s left pinkie. Sale yelled in pain and exited after attempting to field Hicks’ 106.7 mph liner.

Joey Gallo tacked on a two-run homer after entering as defensive replacement in the seventh.

Sale (0-1) was making his second start since returning from a fractured right rib that he sustained working out on his own during the major league lockout.

Devers went 0 for 3 after homering on the first pitch he saw in the previous two games.

Rookie Jeter Downs hit a two-run homer off Cole in the third and also singled. The homer was his first in the majors.

The Red Sox concluded an inconsistent first half with their sixth loss in seven games and finished the first half on a 6-14 slide, dropping 16 1/2 games behind the Yankees in the AL East. Before slumping since June 27, Boston won 19 of 23 games.

Sale allowed three runs and two hits in 2/3 of an inning. After Sale exited, the Red Sox used every reliever except Austin Davis.

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