ALDS: Yankees blister Price, Red Sox in Game 2

New York powered its way to a 6-2 victory on a spectacular fall night, one that left a season-high crowd of 39,151 fans skulking their way to the exits.

BOSTON - Joe Kelly recorded two more outs than David Price on Saturday night at Fenway Park.

 Perhaps that’s all you really need to know to surmise the outcome of Game 2 of the American League Division Series between the Red Sox and Yankees.

 Taming the powerful New York lineup and enjoying a first taste of postseason success as a starting pitcher remain twin riddles that Price has yet to solve. Boston finds itself headed to the Bronx two defeats away from a premature end to what has been a historic season to date.

 Price allowed a pair of solo home runs and retired just five of the 10 batters he faced, Eduardo Rodriguez was roughed up in relief and the Yankees stole the home field advantage that the Red Sox worked for six months to build. New York powered its way to a 6-2 victory on a spectacular fall night, one that left a season-high crowd of 39,151 fans skulking their way to the exits.

 Gary Sanchez’s titanic three-run blast to left center was the final indignity in the top of the seventh, as the Yankees doubled their offensive output on one swing. It was the third round-tripper of the night for a club that set a Major League record for homers during the regular season, with Aaron Judge going deep in the first and Sanchez following suit leading off the second. Boston responded with just five hits against four New York pitchers.

 Price was booed to the home dugout as Alex Cora came to take the ball from his pitcher’s left hand in the top of the second. Price threw just 42 pitches in what was by far the shortest of his 10 postseason starts to date – indeed, four of Price’s last five playoff relief appearances have been longer. It was an even briefer stint than in Price’s Game 2 loss to Cleveland in the 2016 ALDS, a night where he finished just 3 1/3 innings for the Red Sox in a 6-0 shutout.

 Judge started the trouble against Price with one out in the first. He pounced on a fastball out over the plate and hammered it to deep left center, a 445-foot blast into the boxes above the Green Monster to make it 1-0. Sanchez was next to visit the seats above the wall in left, hooking a cut-fastball down and away into the second row to double the New York lead.

 Price retired the next two men before issuing back-to-back walks to Gleyber Torres and Brett Gardner at the bottom of the Yankees’ order. Andrew McCutchen followed by lashing an RBI single off the Monster, making it 3-0 and prompting Cora to take early action. The only Red Sox responses came on a solo homer to center by Xander Bogaerts in the fourth and an Ian Kinsler RBI double to left in the seventh.

 Price remains the only pitcher without a victory among the 70 men who have started at least 10 career postseason games. Saturday marked the first time in 299 career starts overall in which he’s failed to record a strikeout. Price’s nine starts against the Yankees with the Red Sox have now resulted in 18 home runs and an ugly 7.95 earned-run average.

 Boston’s much maligned bullpen – a group that walked a tightrope in Friday night’s 5-4 victory in Game 1 – was further besmirched by a starter the following night. Rodriguez failed to cover first base on a Judge chopper to the right side leading off the seventh, resulting in an infield single. Luke Voit drew a walk, Giancarlo Stanton bounced into a fielder’s choice and Sanchez unloaded on a 2-and-1 fastball, crushing a drive 479 feet onto Lansdowne Street.

 Kelly escaped the second on a Judge liner to right and flashed triple-digit heat while allowing a lone single over his next two frames, throwing 20 of his 25 pitches for strikes. Ryan Brasier struck out the side in the fifth and Rodriguez bailed Brandon Workman out of a jam in the sixth before buckling the following frame. New York’s relievers tossed four scoreless innings behind Masahiro Tanaka, who improved to 3-2 in five postseason starts.