Those who grow up a Yankee understand the day for feeling sorry for the Red Sox will never surface from the time they sign a contract. Those who join from outside understand quickly how little the blood rivals care for each other.
Yet, watching the wide gulf between the Red Sox and Yankees on Friday night at an empty Yankee Stadium highlighted the opposite direction each side of baseball’s best rivalry is headed.
Thanks to Aaron Judge’s third home run in three games, Jordan Montgomery’s solid pitching performance, Chad Green’s dominating relief work and homers from Gio Urshela and Brett Gardner, the Yankees copped a 5-1 victory in their home opener Friday night in front of empty seats in a ballpark that had all the excitement of reading a lease.
“Very different. I was talking to DJ [LeMahieu] about it saying how different it was,’’ Judge said about his take on the flat atmosphere surrounding the Yankees’ fourth straight victory that hiked their record to 5-1. “But we enjoyed it, still locked in and ready to go.’’
It was Montgomery’s first start of the season and he survived a rocky third when Michael Chavis homered and a fourth when the first two Red Sox reached base before Montgomery struck out Christian Vazquez and fed Chavis a 5-4-3 double play ball with the bases loaded to end the frame.
“Just an accumulation of all the hard work and the grit to get through it,’’ Montgomery said of returning from Tommy John surgery that limited him to six starts in 2018 and two games a year ago. “Glad to get that one off my shoulders, I guess.’’
By allowing a run, five hits, walking one and striking out four in 5 ²/₃ innings, Montgomery made former teammate and current Yankees special adviser CC Sabathia look smart.
“His cutter, obviously. His velocity’s been great. Me and Monty have a great relationship. I love that guy. I think he’s going to be great this year. I think he’s going to be great going forward,’’ Sabathia said when asked what gets him excited about Montgomery, a 27-year-old lefty who is 4-0 with a 3.18 in his last 14 games (13 starts) since Sept. 4, 2017.
“I think the more he gets out there, the more confident he’s going to be. He works extremely hard and he listens. He’s coachable. The sky’s the limit for him.”
The sizzling heat may have departed The Bronx, but Judge and the Yankees are nuclear hot. And it has been the long ball that has propelled them to the top of the AL East.
“Trying to get good pitches to hit. The last couple of days I have been chasing pitches out of the zone,’’ Judge said when asked what has been clicking lately. “Just trying to lock in at big at-bats drive some runs in.’’
With the Yankees trailing 1-0 in the third, Judge homered to right on Ryan Weber’s first pitch. Urshela followed with a solo homer to right in the fourth and Gardner, who started the season 0-for-13, reached the second deck in right field for a two-run homer in the eighth. Of the Yankees’ 31 runs this year 21 have come via home runs.
And Green turned in what has become a normal outing. He retired all six batters he faced and whiffed four.
Aaron Boone said his attitude about games played in front of empty seats is the same once the first pitch is thrown. However, he admitted Friday night had a different vibe.
“Tonight I certainly noticed and just being back at home,’’ Boone said. “Seeing our fans in this rivalry, can’t help but to notice how usually how intense it is. That was missing a little bit so it was definitely a little bit different.’’
Just like the rivalry.