Coming into the first Yankees-Red Sox series of the season, there was speculation about whether the rivalry had lost some juice in recent years.
The most problematic lack of juice on Friday night, however, came from the Yankees’ bats.
They teased late in the game, but outside of a solo home run by Josh Donaldson, the Yankees’ offense did not provide much of a punch in a 3-2 loss to the Red Sox in The Bronx.
With two outs in the ninth inning, the Yankees tried to mount one last rally, with back-to-back singles from Billy McKinney (who was run for by Oswaldo Cabrera) and Gleyber Torres off Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen.
Anthony Volpe, getting his first taste of the rivalry, sent a charge into the crowd with a long fly ball down the left-field line that hooked foul.
But one pitch later, the rookie popped up to end it.
The Yankees (37-28) wasted a solid outing from Gerrit Cole, who gave up two runs across six innings, as they fell to 2-3 since Aaron Judge went down with a toe injury last weekend in Los Angeles.
They were unable to muster much against onetime Yankees prospect Garrett Whitlock, who gave up two runs (only one earned) across 6 ¹/₃ innings in his first start against his former organization.
This is the latest in a season the Yankees and Red Sox (32-32) have played their first game against each other since 1996.
And while Boston entered the weekend having lost five of its past six and in last place of the dogfight that is the AL East, the Red Sox spoiled the night for the sellout crowd of 46,007.
Cole worked around a single in each of the first three innings before the Red Sox finally scored in the fourth.
Rafael Devers roped a ground-rule double to right-center field, just out of the reach of a sliding Jake Bauers, before Triston Casas lined a single to right.
Bauers came up throwing.
His attempt to throw out Devers was on the first-base side of home plate, and the Red Sox took a 1-0 lead.
In the sixth inning, Devers pounced on a low changeup and crushed it into the Red Sox bullpen for a home run and a 2-0 lead.
It was Devers’ seventh career home run off Cole (out of nine hits against him), the most the Yankees ace has allowed to any single batter.
DJ LeMahieu, who entered the night in a 9-for-62 slump over his past 15 games, got a cameo in the leadoff spot and delivered a pair of singles in his first two at-bats.
But the Yankees could not take advantage either time, stranding him at third base in the first inning and at first base in the third inning.
Donaldson led off the sixth inning with a home run to Monument Park to make it 2-1.
It was his fourth home run in five starts since coming off the injured list last week.
Albert Abreu relieved Cole to start the seventh inning and gave up a solo home run to Enrique Hernandez that put the Red Sox back up by two runs.
That came back to hurt the Yankees in the bottom of the inning.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa led off with a single, stole second, took third on a throwing error and scored on a wild pitch to bring the Yankees within 3-2.
But Torres, who walked on the wild pitch with one out, forcing Whitlock out of the game, never advanced past first base.
The Red Sox brought on Nick Pivetta, who got Volpe to pop out and LeMahieu to ground out to end the threat.