Yankees frustrated at Fenway as Sox run wild

BOSTON -- Multiple generations have come and gone since the last time a Yankees team allowed an opponent to run as wildly as the Red Sox did on Sunday evening. To find a comparable example, you must dig all the way back to 1915, a season during which Babe Ruth hit his first homer and the Yanks were still paying rent at the Polo Grounds.

Jose Trevino has no interest in this history lesson, not after seeing Boston set a franchise record with nine stolen bases in the Yankees’ 9-3 loss at Fenway Park. While it is true that shutting down the running game must be a collaborative effort between pitchers, catchers and infielders, Trevino placed this one upon his shoulders.

“Any night you don’t win a ballgame, it’s frustrating, but especially tonight,” Trevino said. “I’ve got to make better throws. I’ve got to get the ball out.”

Boston’s speed was no surprise to Trevino, who said the Yankees discussed that factor at length in their pre-series meetings. After attempting only one steal in the first two games of the series, Boston kept the green light on for the finale, beginning with Jarren Duran’s successful steal of second base in the bottom of the first inning.

Trevino fumbled the ball, which would be a common theme. He failed to throw on five of the nine steals; another was cut off on the infield to pin a baserunner at third base. The Yanks’ only caught stealing of the evening came when pitcher Marcus Stroman stepped off, nabbing Rob Refsnyder running in the fifth.

“I think it’s matchup-dictated,” manager Aaron Boone said. “They had some leads, they had the right matchups out there on the field, and they took advantage of it. Overall, we’ve got to do a better job.”

Six of the nine steals came with Stroman on the mound, and the right-hander said that it was an issue he would study before his next start.

“It’s not on Trevi, it’s probably more on me,” Stroman said. “I need to do a better job holding [runners] and maybe being a little quicker to the plate. They have speed and a bunch of guys in that lineup that can run. It makes it incredibly tough with the pitch clock, the pitch-overs. It’s just tough. We’ve got to do a better job.”

Statcast metrics show that while Stroman is below league-average in his times to home plate, he is not egregiously slow. Sunday’s display appeared to be more about the Red Sox targeting Trevino, whose average pop time to second base ranks second-worst in the Majors (2.07 seconds). With an average velocity of 71.3 mph, Trevino’s arm strength ranks last in the Majors.

“That was good baseball tonight,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “Expect that from us. We’re going to push the envelope.”

A Platinum Glove Award winner, Trevino has made up the difference with excellent blocking and pitch framing; in that latter category, he continues to rate as the Majors’ best. However, in what Boone has described as a “copycat league,” opponents may now try to replicate Boston's success on the basepaths Sunday evening.

“That’s up to them,” Trevino said. “I’m assuming [they might]. I don’t know. We’ll see.”

And yet the Yankees still had opportunities in a game that saw Aaron Judge hit his Major League-leading 26th homer, with Trevino also clearing the Green Monster. Their prime opportunity came in the seventh, when Anthony Rizzo sustained an injury on a play at first base, exiting with the bases loaded and none out.

Facing Zack Kelly, Gleyber Torres looked at three balls out of the strike zone, then struck out. Trevino also fanned, DJ LeMahieu flied out to leave three men on, and soon the Red Sox pulled away. Rafael Devers and Connor Wong broke the game open with a run-scoring single and two-run triple off Luke Weaver, respectively.

“They capitalized when they got guys in scoring position,” Judge said. “They were able to do it all night.”

The Yankees had not permitted nine stolen bases in a game since May 19, 1915, when Ty Cobb and the Tigers punished New York catcher Les Nunamaker; Cobb had four steals, just as David Hamilton did for Boston on Sunday.

New York’s franchise record for steals allowed in a contest is 13, which occurred against Washington on June 28, 1907, when the team was still known as the Highlanders. The beleaguered backstop that day went on to enshrinement in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, though not for his catching.

Branch Rickey would soon trade the gear for a front-office position, placing him in position to shatter baseball’s color barrier some four decades later by signing Jackie Robinson to a contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers. It’s a fantastic tidbit, but alas, another that would not interest Trevino on this night.

“I’ve just got to put the ball on the bag,” Trevino said. “Just stick to the game plan. It’s all part of the game.”