Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Josh Osich reacts after allowing a solo home run to New York Yankees Luke Voit during the Yankees’ 6-3 on Monday night in New York. Kathy Willens/Associated Press
NEW YORK — Luke Voit homered twice, Aroldis Chapman returned from the COVID-19 injured list to pitch the ninth inning and the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 6-3 Monday night for their 10th straight victory in the famed rivalry.
New York capped a four-game sweep and is on its best run against Boston since winning a franchise-best 12 consecutive games in 1952-53 — a stretch when Red Sox star Ted Williams was serving in the Korean War.
The AL East-leading Yankees have won six in a row overall since dropping three of four at Tampa Bay from Aug. 7-9. They start a three-game home series against the second-place Rays on Tuesday night. New York is 10-0 at Yankee Stadium this season.
Boston lost its eighth straight game overall and has also dropped 10 consecutive games in the Bronx.
Thairo Estrada and Aaron Hicks also homered for New York. Estrada connected shortly after the game was delayed 1 hour, 23 minutes by rain during the fourth inning.
Chapman allowed a triple to José Peraza and an RBI double to Jonathan Araúz but struck out Kevin Pillar and Rafael Devers to end the game. His final pitch was a 101.3 mph fastball that Devers swung through.
Chapman was activated Monday after testing positive for the coronavirus during preseason workouts. The All-Star left-hander had only mild symptoms and has been training at the team’s alternate site in Scranton, Pennsylvania, since being cleared July 31.
It was Chapman’s first appearance since allowing a series-ending homer to Houston’s Jose Altuve in Game 6 of the AL Championship Series.
The tarp was rolled out with the Red Sox rallying in the fourth inning. Yankees starter Jordan Montgomery pitched no-hit ball until J.D. Martinez, Xander Bogaerts and Christian Vázquez hit consecutive two-out singles.
Vázquez’s soft liner bounced off shortstop shortstop Gleyber Torres’ glove on a tough play in shallow left field, allowing Martinez to score. The grounds crew came out moments later — just before a light drizzle turned into a downpour.
Luis Avilán relieved Montgomery after the delay, walked Michael Chavis to load the bases and struck out Alex Verdugo to end the inning.
Boston left-hander Martin Pérez (2-3) walked the bases loaded in the first inning but escaped when Miguel Andújar’s towering fly ball fell into Peraza’s glove on the left field warning track.
New York broke through in the second. Hicks scored speedy Tyler Wade from first on a double, and Voit followed with a drive to left-center for a 3-0 lead.
Voit added a leadoff shot in the fifth, his seventh home run of the season. Hicks homered leading off the seventh to make it 6-2.
Michael King (1-1) allowed a run over three innings after replacing Avilán.
DEFENSIVE ISSUES
Torres made two throwing errors at shortstop and skipped another ball that Voit picked out of the dirt at first base. The 23-year-old has six errors, most among shortstops, in his first season replacing Didi Gregorius at the position. Torres also has had a few miscommunications with infielders in the past week.
Meanwhile, left fielder Andújar — a converted third baseman — got turned around by Verdugo’s fly ball in the sixth and watched it bounce over the wall for a ground-rule RBI double. Andújar was replaced in left by Mike Tauchman an inning later with New York leading 5-2.
Torres was also picked off first base by catcher Vázquez in the seventh.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Red Sox: LH reliever Josh Taylor was activated after testing positive for the coronavirus July 15 and pitched a perfect sixth inning. The 27-year-old had no symptoms but was quarantined in a Boston hotel room for more than two weeks, and manager Ron Roenicke cautioned that Taylor might not be quite himself. RHP Chris Mazza was optioned to the alternate site. … INF Christian Arroyo, claimed off waivers from Cleveland on Thursday, could be activated Tuesday if he clears intake coronavirus testing.
Yankees: INF DJ LeMahieu is expected to miss two to three weeks after going on the injured list Sunday with a sprained left thumb. Images of his thumb are being sent to the same hand specialist that treated LeMahieu for a similar injury in 2018 while with Colorado.
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