In a one-run game on Father's Day at Fenway Park, Brennan Bernardino loaded the bases with New York Yankees.
The lefty was pulled after three batters and Zack Kelly took the mound. His pitches dipped and dove around the Yankees' bats — he mowed down Gleyber Torres and José Trevino, and he induced a flyout off the bat of DJ LeMahieu to get the job done.
In the following frame, the Boston Red Sox supported Kelly's outing with three runs to break away from their all-time rival. The Red Sox beat the Yankees, 9-3, in part due to Kelly's dominance, but their gritty base running was one of the night's biggest successes.
The Red Sox ran all over New York's defense for a franchise-record nine steals in one game. David Hamilton was the star of the night on the base paths — the infielder collected three runs on four steals, the last secured Boston's record.
Four of the Red Sox's steals resulted in runs. Their athleticism and aggressiveness put pressure on the Yankees' battery, which is precisely the lineup's design. With Ceddanne Rafaela in the nine-hole and Jarren Duran and Hamilton at the top of the order, Boston's three fastest men frequently share the base paths.
The Red Sox's speed was the Yankees' kryptonite in second-straight series win for Boston
The @RedSox have been around since 1901. They just set a franchise record with their 9th steal tonight. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/W7fOqkOjmA
— MLB (@MLB) June 17, 2024
The Red Sox have been churning out triples — Duran has 10 on his own — and Connor Wong, one of the fastest catchers in the league, knocked another against Luke Weaver in the seventh inning.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora has described his players' athleticism as a pillar of their offense, and they showed why against the Yankees. Boston has struggled to hit for power since the beginning of the season, but it's found a way to make up for the lack of pop at the plate.
Boston was relentless against New York, and speed was just one part of its biggest win of the season. The Red Sox took series from the two best teams in baseball by the same margins — they beat Philly, 9-3 with 14 hits on June 13 and New York, 9-3 with 14 hits three days later.
If the Red Sox can maintain this level of fast, gritty play, they could be prepped for a late-season turnaround. Few expected Boston to split its series with the White Sox and then take MLB's best Phillies and Yankees back-to-back, but the league is officially on notice.