Yankees allow five home runs, fall to Red Sox despite Aaron Judge's two HRs

If you won’t join ’em, beat ’em.

That apparently is Hunter Dobbins’ twist on the old trope in regard to the Yankees. On Sunday night, he backed that up.

Although he never threw a pitch with a lead and gave up three runs on two homers, the rookie righthander was tenacious enough in his five innings — and ultimately backed up by five Red Sox homers — to earn the win in an 11-7 decision in front of 45,140 in his starting debut at the Stadium.

“These are always heavy series, fun to be a part of,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “They beat us this weekend. That’s part of it. We’ll regroup.”

The convincing victory earned scuffling Boston the weekend series. Still in first place by 4 1⁄2 games, the Yankees will begin a series in Kansas City on Tuesday, then face the Red Sox — and potentially Dobbins — in Boston next weekend.

Dobbins, 25, grew up in Texas watching his and his father’s beloved Red Sox and the hated Yankees throw haymakers at each other — some of them literal — in one of the most intense rivalries in sports. He undoubtedly dreamed of one day participating in the AL East feud himself.

So imagine his disappointment when he finally arrived in the Bronx this weekend to find the once-fierce battles between the two teams fizzled into lopsided afterthoughts as the franchises head in opposite directions, separated by 9 1⁄2 games in the early June standings.

What’s a rookie pitcher to do? Reignite it as best he can.

True rivalries never burn out as long as there are embers to occasionally blow on, and Dobbins gave them a lungful. He was quoted by the Boston Herald on Saturday saying: “If the Yankees were the last team to give me a contract, I’d retire.”

That caught the attention of the home clubhouse. Jazz Chisholm Jr. said he liked the moxie and the fire, but he also had a message for his teammates regarding the remarks.

“I just said we’re gonna kick [butt] tonight,” Chisholm said.

“I’ve only heard Ken Griffey Jr. say that, so I was a little surprised,” Aaron Judge said after the game.

After allowing a leadoff single by Ben Rice, Dobbins yielded a 436-foot two-run homer by Judge that landed in the bleachers in right-center. It was Judge’s 22nd of the season and the 30th of his career against Boston; only Babe Ruth got to 30 faster for the Yankees. Judge hit his 23rd homer in the ninth, a two-run shot to right-center that gave him three hits and four RBIs.

After allowing Judge’s first homer, Dobbins retired 13 of the next 14 hitters until DJ LeMahieu hit a two-out solo homer to right in the fifth that gave the Yankees a 3-2 lead. Dobbins (3-1) left after finishing that inning, and former Yankees prospect Carlos Narvaez made him the pitcher of record on the winning side when he hit a three-run homer in the top of the sixth for a 5-3 lead. That drove Yankees starter Carlos Rodon from the game.

Rodon (8-4) had looked sharp, allowing only one infield single and two baserunners through four innings, but he wilted rapidly. He allowed a two-run homer by Kristian Campbell in the fifth that tied the score at 2. He hit Rafael Devers to start the sixth, walked Rob Refsnyder and then gave up Narvaez’s homer. Fernando Cruz then loaded the bases and Jarren Duran singled home two runs against Tim Hill to give Boston a 7-3 lead.

The Yankees scored two in the bottom of the sixth to close to 7-5 on Chisholm’s sacrifice fly to left and a bases-loaded walk to Trent Grisham, but LeMahieu grounded out to second with the bases loaded to end the rally. LeMahieu flied out with two on to end the eighth as well, but by then Abraham Toro and Trevor Story had hit back-to-back homers off Jonathan Loaisiga in the top of the inning to build a 9-5 lead.

Devers homered off Brent Headrick and Toro added an RBI double in the top of the ninth to give Boston an 11-5 lead before Judge hit his second homer. That gave him four multi-homer games this season and 43 in his career. That is tied for third-most in Yankees history with Lou Gehrig, trailing only Mickey Mantle (46) and Ruth (68).

“Would have been sweet if it was a win,” Judge said of joining that company. He has a .396/.493/.771 slash line and 55 RBIs in 64 games. 

Notes & quotes: Anthony Volpe returned to the lineup after missing most of Saturday’s game (he appeared as a pinch runner) because of swelling in his left elbow after he was hit by a pitch on Friday night. “Just a lot of stuff I didn’t even know existed in the training room, a lot of treatments,” the shortstop said of the process to get back before the end of the series. “Stuff I don’t want to ever have to do again to get all of the swelling out.” He went 2-for-5 with a double and, with runners on second and third, struck out on three pitches against Aroldis Chapman to end the game . . . Aaron Boone said Luke Weaver, on the 15-day injured list since Tuesday with a left hamstring strain, was able to throw with “a little more intensity” on Sunday . . . The Red Sox outscored the Yankees 27-23 and outhomered them 8-7 in the three games.

By Tom Rock

tom.rock@newsday.com@TomRock_Newsday

Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.