BOSTON — At least by the lofty standards the Yankees’ rotation has set for itself this season, this qualified as a clunker.
Carlos Rodon reeled it in before it became a full-on, five-alarm fire, but the damage already was done by that point.
The Red Sox jumped on Rodon for five runs in the first two innings, which was enough to hand the Yankees an 8-4 loss on Saturday night at a sold-out Fenway Park.
Rodon has spent most of this season distancing himself from a brutal 2023, but the first two innings Saturday were reminiscent of his struggles last season.
The Red Sox (36-35) made him work, forcing him to throw 62 pitches just to record six outs, at which point they had racked up five runs on seven hits (most of them bullets) and two walks.
The left-hander went on to retire 10 of the final 11 batters he faced across five innings to keep the Yankees (50-23) within striking distance, though a comeback never fully came to fruition, setting up a rubber game on Sunday night.
Trailing 6-3 in the eighth inning, the Yankees threatened against former teammate Greg Weissert, who was part of the return in the Alex Verdugo trade.
They loaded the bases with one out and got one run on DJ LeMahieu’s fielder’s choice.
But closer Kenley Jansen entered to retire Anthony Volpe before the Red Sox tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the inning to ice it.
Rodon entered the night having pitched at least six innings and given up three runs or fewer in seven straight starts.
But the Red Sox came out firing against him and peppering the Green Monster to take a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
Jarren Duran led off with a double that one-hopped the wall and came around to score when Tyler O’Neill lined a double off the Monster.
After Rafael Devers drew a walk, Connor Wong roped a single up the middle to make it 2-0.
One out later, Jamie Westbrook (who spent 2023 with the Yankees’ Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre) drilled another double off the 37-foot, two-inch wall in left field to push the lead to 3-0.
Rodon avoided further damage by stranding a pair, but he needed 30 pitches just to get through the inning.
The Yankees answered back with two runs in the top of the second against Cooper Criswell on a rally started by Giancarlo Stanton’s single and Anthony Rizzo’s walk.
Two outs later, LeMahieu blooped a single to right field to score both of them to get within 3-2.
But the Red Sox stayed on the attack against Rodon in the bottom of the inning to get their three-run lead back.
With runners on the corners and two outs, Rafael Devers smoked a double to the gap in left-center field to drive in both runs and make it a 5-2 game.
Rodon settled in from there, including finishing his outing with his most efficient inning of the night in the fifth.
It appeared that manager Aaron Boone was going to pull him after the fourth, when he was at 98 pitches, but Rodon talked his way into at least starting the fifth and delivered a 1-2-3 frame on 11 pitches.
Having bounced Criswell after four innings, the Yankees looked primed to pounce on the Red Sox bullpen in the top of the fifth.
Thanks to an error and two walks, they loaded the bases with one out against reliever Justin Slaten.
But the inning quickly fizzled from there as Alex Verdugo grounded into a fielder’s choice, with the Red Sox getting the out at the plate, and Stanton struck out to leave the bases loaded.
Juan Soto just cleared the Monster in the seventh inning for his 18th home run of the season, a solo shot that pulled the Yankees within 5-3.
But Ron Marinaccio gave up a run in the bottom of the inning as the Red Sox again were quick to re-establish a three-run advantage.