(SportsNetwork.com) - Alex Rodriguez found his way into the headlines for a good reason on Friday night.
The New York slugger will try to follow up his historic homer with another big effort on Saturday afternoon as the Yankees resume a three-game series with the rival Boston Red Sox.
Rodriguez hit a pinch-hit solo homer in the eighth inning and it was the difference in a 3-2 win over the Red Sox. It was also the 660th homer of his career, tying Willie Mays for fourth on baseball's all-time list.
After sitting out all of last season due to a suspension for his role in the Biogenesis PED scandal, Rodriguez has six home runs this season. Friday's shot was his first career pinch-hit homer.
"I don't know what it means," Rodriguez said. "I'm actually very excited. I'm just trying to stay in the moment. It's good to do it in a good team win. I got emotional there."
Having matched Mays, Rodriguez trails only Babe Ruth (714), Hank Aaron (755) and Barry Bonds (762) on the all-time list.
Carlos Beltran contributed a pair of hits, including an RBI double, to New York's latest triumph. Former Boston fan favorite Jacoby Ellsbury finished 2- for-5 with a run scored as the Yankees won for the eighth time in 10 games.
New York also has won seven of its last 10 at Fenway Park.
Allen Craig homered for the Red Sox, but the Boston bullpen wasn't able to hold a 2-1 lead after six innings and the club lost for the sixth time in nine games.
The Red Sox also lost catcher Ryan Hanigan to a fractured finger on his right hand. He is expected to need surgery and be out for several weeks. Minor leaguer Blake Swihart is a possibility to replace Hanigan and he is ranked as Boston's second-best prospect by MLB.com as well as the top catching prospect in baseball.
Swihart could be behind the plate today to catch left-hander Wade Miley, who has sandwiched a pair of horrid outings around his first victory with the Red Sox.
Miley, acquired in December from Arizona, did not factor into a 6-5 win over the hosting Yankees on April 10, scattering two runs over 5 1/3 frames in his second career start against them.
The left-hander then yielded seven runs over 2 1/3 frames of a loss to Washington on April 15 before beating Tampa Bay six days later with 5 2/3 scoreless innings.
His up-and-down trend continued on Sunday in Baltimore as the 28-year-old Miley was hammered for seven runs (6 earned) on five hits and two walks over 2 1/3 frames of a loss. His season earned run average sits at 8.62.
Nathan Eovaldi aims to rebound today for the Yankees.
The righty picked up his first victory with New York on April 21 as he limited the Detroit Tigers to a run over seven innings. However, he then yielded four runs on seven hits over 4 1/3 frames of a no-decision versus the New York Mets on Sunday.
However, the Yankees managed a 6-4 win and Eovaldi is 1-0 on the year with a 4.15 ERA. He'll make his second career start versus the Red Sox, getting a no- decision against them in his Yankees debut on April 10. Eovaldi allowed three runs over 5 1/3 innings.
The Red Sox won two of three at Yankee Stadium when these teams met in the season's first month.
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