The Red Sox-Yankees ALDS showdown is one of the most anticipated playoff series this fall, and for good reason. In the first inning of Game 1, Boston slugger J.D. Martinez fueled the hype even further after he unloaded a three-run homer off of the Yankees’ J.A. Happ.
The ball -- a 2-0 heater that topped out around 93 MPH -- hurtled 374 feet out to the first row of seats atop the Green Monster to give the Red Sox an early 3-0 lead. It was the first postseason home run Martinez had collected since Game 1 of the 2017 NLDS, when he bested the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw with a solo home run, and the first Happ had given up since Game 2 of the 2016 ALCS.
Not content to rest on their laurels, the Red Sox returned in the third inning to pad their lead as Steve Pearce drove in another run against New York righty Chad Green and Xander Bogaerts followed up with a sac fly. They have yet to surrender a single run behind Chris Sale, who is working on a one-hitter after three scoreless innings of two-walk, five-strikeout ball. Boston currently leads 5-0 in the fourth.
