New York Yankees third baseman Chase Headley reaches back to snag a pop foul hit by Boston Red Sox’s Xander Bogaerts during the eighth inning at Fenway Park on Thursday, April 27, 2017, in Boston.
BOSTON — Masahiro Tanaka pitched a three-hitter to outduel Chris Sale and earn his first shutout since 2014, and the New York Yankees beat Boston 3-0 on Thursday night for their fifth straight victory over the rival Red Sox.
Tanaka (3-1) struck out three and threw only 97 pitches for his fifth career complete game and his 10th win in 11 decisions dating to last season. Aaron Hicks had two hits and scored twice, and Matt Holliday had two hits and two RBIs.
Tanaka retired the last 14 batters he faced and only allowed one runner to reach second base.
Sale (1-2) allowed three runs — two earned — and eight hits in eight innings, striking out 10 and walking none. He joined Pedro Martinez, Roger Clemens and Jon Lester as Red Sox pitchers with 10 or more strikeouts in four straight starts.
The Red Sox have scored four runs total in his five starts this season. Boston, which scored the most runs in baseball last season, has scored 13 total over its last seven games, losing five and getting shut out three times.
Sale matched Tanaka until the fourth, when Hicks singled, took second on a groundout, third on a passed ball and scored on Holliday’s sacrifice fly. The Yankees chased Sale when Hicks, Chase Headley and Holliday all singled to start the ninth and score another run.
Heath Hembree gave up a single to Starlin Castro to make it 3-0 before Aaron Judge popped out to the catcher and Chris Carter grounded into a double play.
BUNTS
Sale is 4-2 with a 1.31 ERA in eight career starts against Yankees. … Jacoby Ellsbury of the Yankees did not reach base for the first time in 26 games stretching to the end of the 2016 season. … The starters are the top two on the all-time list for strikeout-to-walk ratio since 1900 among pitchers with at least 500 innings pitched. Tanaka had a 4.94 K/BB ratio entering the game, and Sale’s was 4.83.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Yankees: INF Didi Gregorious was the designated hitter in a 10:15 a.m. intrasquad game in Tampa. He got four at-bats: two groundouts and a lineout before homering to right off RHP Juan De Paula in his last at-bat.
Red Sox: 2B Dustin Pedroia returned after missing three games and a rainout after being spiked in the left leg by Baltimore’s Manny Machado.
UP NEXT
Yankees: Return home to open a three-game series against the Orioles. CC Sabathia (2-1) pitches for New York against Baltimore’s Kevin Gausman (1-2).
Red Sox: Welcome the World Series champion Chicago Cubs to Fenway Park for the first time since 2014. Drew Pomeranz (1-1) will face Jake Arrieta (3-0).
Boston Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts runs to catch a shallow fly ball hit by New York Yankees’ Chase Headley during the sixth inning at Fenway Park on Thursday, April 27, 2017, in Boston.
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