 allowed four hits in two scoreless innings. Steven Wright (0-1) lost in his first decision and second appearance since an 80-game suspension for a positive drug test.New York won for the 12th time in 13 games, maintained a seven-game lead over second-place Tampa Bay in the AL East and reached the halfway mark at 53-28, one fewer win than at last year's midpoint. The defending World Series champion Red Sox dropped a season-high 10 games back at 44-39.The 2,200th regular-season meeting between the teams was a scorcher - the hottest day of the year in London at 93 degrees Fahrenheit (34 Celsius), and still 92 when the first pitch was thrown at 6:10 p.m. And it was the first on artificial turf.While Boston was the home team and hit last, both teams wore their white home uniforms. Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, met with both teams and took part in the ceremonial first pitch ceremony. Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani was on hand, as he was when the Yankees played Tampa Bay at the Tokyo Dome in 2004.''I got chills from our intros coming out,'' Judge said.Organizers brought touches of home, such as the grounds crew dancing to the Village People's ''YMCA.'' The sound system played "Sweet Caroline" in the eighth and ''New York, New York'' after the final out.But there were misfires, too. When Gary Sanchez struck out in the second, music was played that usually follows a New York run being scored at Yankee Stadium.Porcello got just one out in the shortest of his 324 career starts.''I couldn't execute the pitches,'' he said. ''There's no excuse for it. It was an unacceptable performance.'' Tanaka got two outs as he failed to finish the first inning for the first time in 149 major league starts. It was the first time in the rivalry that both teams scored six or more runs in the opening inning and the first big league game involving any teams in which that occurred since visiting Toronto led Oakland 7-6 on June 23, 1989.Before all the runs, New York gave Prince Harry and Markle a Yankees shirt as a gift for their new son Archie,''He said if we win, he's going to let the baby wear the shirt,'' Didi Gregorius said. ''I hope he remembers that.'' BETWEEN INNINGSJason Diamond, visiting from New York, won the third-inning race against The Freeze, who came over from Atlanta. ... Freddie Mercury won the racing mascots, beating Winston Churchill, King Henry VIII and the Loch Ness Monster.WEB GEMYankees RF Mike Tauchman made a diving, backhand grab to rob Travis in the seventh.THE SHININGOutfielders had trouble picking up balls because of white seats and tables of the white press tribune built for soccer, and also because of the late-setting European sun.LONG NIGHTEdwin Encarnacion struck out five times.FASCINATINGYankees radio broadcaster Suzyn Waldman wore a fascinator, more commonly seen at Royal Ascot than a baseball game.TRAINER'S ROOMYankees: RHP Domingo German is scheduled to return from a strained hip flexor and start Wednesday at the New York Mets, a day after LHP J. A. Happ starts the opener of the two-game Subway Series. LHP CC Sabathia will start in the following series at Tampa Bay. ... RHP Luis Severino (lat strain) had another setback and still has not thrown off a mound. Boone said an MRI showed the lat is about 90% healed and Severino probably will resume throwing in 5-7 days. ... RHP Dellin Betances (lat strain) probably will resume throwing next week.Red Sox: LHP Brian Johnson was put on the 10-day IL because of an unspecified medical matter not related to baseball.UP NEXTLHP Eduardo Rodriguez starts Sunday's series finale for Boston and lefty reliever Stephen Tarpley for New York.---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Yankees, Red Sox set to renew rivalry in LondonFLMAmerica's most storied sports rivalry makes its way across the pond for a historic series as the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees face off in the first of two games at London Stadium on Saturday.The series marks the first-ever games contested in London for Major League Baseball. The pitching matchup carries further international flavor as Japanese right-hander Masahiro Tanaka (5-5, 3.21 ERA) gets the nod for the Yankees opposite Red Sox righty Rick Porcello (5-7, 4.52).Each team will be well-rested after arriving in London after their last games stateside on Wednesday. Representatives from the clubs interacted with locals on Thursday to further drum up interest ahead of games that sold out in less than an hour."More important than the two games is what continues to happen here in England after we're gone," MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said.Indeed, the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs have already been announced to continue the London Series in 2020.This year, the Yankees and Red Sox both enter on recent hot streaks. New York has won 11 of its last 12 games to pull ahead to a nine-game lead over the Red Sox in the American League East, though Boston has done its best to keep pace, winning 10 of its last 14.Hitter-friendly dimensions await both teams at London Stadium, where it's 330 feet down the foul lines and 385 to straightaway center. Good news for the Yankees, who enter in the midst of a major league record streak of 29 straight games with a home run."I'm not worried about the dimensions or anything because we're both going to be playing on the same surface, so I think it'll be a lot of fun," Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner told ESPN. "I'm most looking forward to seeing how the fans react to us being over there. It's going to be a blast." Porcello hasn't given up a homer in a season-long streak of three straight starts. Yet, he was roughed up by the Toronto Blue Jays his last time out, allowing five runs on eight hits and four walks over six innings in a loss.Porcello has pitched at least six innings in 11 of his last 12 starts, the lone exception being a 4 2/3-inning effort against the Yankees on June 1 in which he gave up five runs on nine hits. In his career, he's 10-9 with a 3.32 ERA in 23 career starts against New York."I'll get the honor of throwing the first pitch in Europe, and it's awesome," Porcello told MLB.com. Boston is serving as the home team for the series. "It's a big deal for our game, and I'm looking forward to it."Hopefully we'll put on a good show and everyone enjoys it." Tanaka has yet to face the Red Sox this season. He's 8-4 with a 4.35 ERA in 18 career starts against Boston.In his last start, Tanaka surrendered two runs on eight hits over six innings against the Houston Astros.The Yankees and Red Sox have played five times this season, with New York winning the first four. The teams will play each other 12 more times in the second half.-Field Level Media
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