Josh Donaldson, left, of the Yankees celebrates his three-run homer with Aaron Hicks in the first inning Friday night at Fenway Park. Michael Dwyer/Associated Press
BOSTON — Josh Donaldson hit a three-run homer in a four-run first inning, Matt Carpenter homered among three hits in his first start in left field in a decade, and the New York Yankees beat Boston 12-5 Friday night for their 10th win in their last 11 games against the Red Sox.
Joey Gallo hit a two-run triple on a fly that right fielder Christian Arroyo lost in the twilight. Gallo was thrown out at the plate trying for an inside-the-park home run.
New York opened a 15 1/2-game lead over Tampa Bay in the AL East – the earliest in games and by calendar date the Yankees have taken a 15-game lead. The Red Sox are 16 games back.
In a game that lasted 3 hours, 52 minutes, the Yankees scored double-digit runs for a major league-high 14th time this season. They have won nine of their last 12.
New York is a season-high 38 games over .500 and at 61-23 matched its 1928 and 1939 teams for the second-best 84-game record in team history, trailing only 1998′s 64-20.
Red Sox right-hander Connor Seabold (0-2) gave up seven runs and nine hits in 2 2/3 innings, raising his ERA to 11.91. He left with what the Red Sox said was right forearm extensor tightness.
Jackie Bradey Jr. made his major league mound debut in the ninth – the fifth position player to pitch against the Yankees this season and third in eight games after Cleveland’s Ernie Clement and Pittsburgh’s Josh VanMeter.
Throwing at up to 91.5 mph, Bradley struck out DJ LeMahieu on a 67 mph pitch with two on and walked Isiah Kiner-Falefa with the bases loaded before getting Gleyber Torres to ground into an inning-ending forceout.
Nestor Cortes lasted a season-low 3 2/3 innings, giving up four runs and eight hits as 10 of 21 batters he faced reached base. Given a 9-2 lead, he allowed solo home runs in the fourth to Trevor Story and Bobby Dalbec.
Miguel Castro (5-0) relieved and hit Xander Bogaerts, loading the bases, then struck out Christian Vázquez with a full-count slider.
Left-hander Lucas Luetge allowed one hit over three scoreless innings with six strikeouts for his first save this season. Luetge lowered his ERA to 2.70.
Boston’s Rob Refsnyder, who began his big league career with the Yankees in 2015, had his second career four-hit game.
After going 0 for 3 with two strikeouts, Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers left the game after the fourth inning because of low back pain. He winced while striking out in his final at-bat.
Seabold needed 37 pitches to get through the first inning, the most for a Boston pitcher in the opening inning since Eduardo Rodriguez threw 38 at Texas on Sept. 24, 2019.
Donaldson’s ninth homer and an RBI single by Torres, the first of his three hits, opened a 4-0 lead in the first.
Gallo’s third-inning triple was just his third hit in 40 at-bats. Gallo hit a drive to right and Arroyo stuck out both arms three times, indicating he needed help finding the ball. It landed 318 feet from the plate, about 30 feet behind him.
Gallo was thrown out at the plate when Arroyo retrieved the ball and threw to Story, the second baseman, who relayed to Vázquez for the tag. When he reached the dugout at the end of the half-inning, Arroyo twice slammed his glove ahanst the bench.
Carpenter made his first start in left field since Sept. 7, 2012, and his home run was his ninth since joining the Yankees on May 26. He is batting .305 with 20 RBIs.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Yankees: First baseman Anthony Rizzo, out since Sunday because of back spasms, took batting practice and participated in defensive drills. He could return Saturday.
Red Sox: Center fielder Kiké Hernández was the DH for Triple-A Worcester and went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts. … Right-hander Garret Whitlock made a rehab appearance in that game, throwing 34 pitches in two innings, giving up two runs and six hits with three strikeouts. … Right-hander Nathan Eovaldi, out since June 9 because of low back inflammation, is scheduled to make a rehab start for Worcester on Sunday, throwing about 60 pitches. … Manager Alex Cora said there is a “good chance” right-hander Matt Barnes, out since May 31 because of right shoulder inflammation, could make what would be his first rehab appearance Saturday in the Florida Complex League. … After right-hander Tyler Danish was placed on the IL because of a right forearm strain on Thursday, Cora said the injury is “hopefully not serious.” … Left-hander James Paxton, recovering from Tommy John surgery, has progressed to throwing breaking balls on flat ground.
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