Those three straight knockouts by the Red Sox last week in Boston became more of a distant memory Friday night, as the Yankees opened another four-game series against their rivals with a 4-2 win in front of a sellout crowd in The Bronx.
It was the Yankees’ third win in four games and sent the Red Sox to a season-high fifth straight defeat.
James Paxton recovered from another rough first inning to deliver a solid outing and the Yankees used a grand slam from Gleyber Torres off Eduardo Rodriguez — also in the first — to open a 7½-game lead in the AL East over second-place Tampa Bay, which was idle, and an 11½-game edge over Boston.