Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge Lead Yankees Power Surge in Game 2 Win over Red Sox

The New York Yankees flexed their muscle with three homers in their 6-2 win over the Boston Red Sox to steal Game 2 of the American League Division Series at Fenway Park on Saturday.

After the offense came to life against Boston's bullpen in Game 1, the Yankees picked up right where they left off against David Price. Aaron Judge got things started with a solo shot in the top of the first inning. Gary Sanchez added two homers of his own, including a three-run blast in the seventh.

Meanwhile, New York starter Masahiro Tanaka held the Red Sox potent lineup in check. The former All-Star had allowed just one run on three hits over five innings to help even the series heading back to Yankee Stadium.

Masahiro Tanaka's Postseason Success Gives Yankees True Ace

When the Yankees signed Tanaka to a seven-year deal worth $155 million in 2014, it was with the hope he would anchor their rotation.

Tanaka's regular-season stats have been fine throughout his career. The 29-year-old has a 3.59 ERA with 798 strikeouts in 824.1 innings over 132 starts.

When October rolls around, though, Tanaka has been outstanding:

Even though Luis Severino is New York's nominal ace, his second-half struggles have raised questions about his ability to dominate in the postseason. The hard-throwing right-hander had a 5.57 ERA in 12 starts after the All-Star break this season.

In Wednesday's AL Wild Card win over the Oakland Athletics, Severino was all over the place with seven strikeouts and four walks in four shutout innings.

Tanaka brings stability and dominance when he takes the mound for New York in the postseason. His five innings of work in Game 2 were huge after J.A. Happ only recorded six outs on Friday.

Being an ace requires a high level of consistency in the most pressure-packed situations. Tanaka has thrived on the biggest stage in Major League Baseball to give New York's rotation a superstar.

Red Sox Won't Survive David Price's Postseason Struggles

Price seemed to be peaking at the right time for the Red Sox. The 2012 AL Cy Young winner had a 2.25 ERA with as many strikeouts as innings pitched (68) in the second half.

Despite that late surge, Price's season was going to be defined by what happened in the playoffs. His history in October has left a lot to be desired, including a 5.03 ERA in 17 games entering Saturday.

The narrative only got worse for Price after his performance against the Yankees:

Boston's pitching staff was a significant question mark coming into the series. Chris Sale provided the perfect answer to one of those questions in Game 1 with eight strikeouts over 5.1 innings.

For Price, though, there don't appear to be any easy answers. He had a chance to put the Red Sox in complete control of the series, but instead only managed to get five outs in between Yankees hitters lighting him up:

Sale and Price were supposed to give the Red Sox a formidable one-two punch that could compete with any team in the postseason.

Price's latest October shortcoming has left Boston relying on Rick Porcello to quiet the Yankees bats on Monday in order to avoid a 2-1 series hole.

Powerful Lineup Gives Yankees Huge Advantage in Series

Even though Price was strong in the second half in the regular season, there were reasons to think he would struggle against the Yankees:

For all the offensive talent both teams possess, the Yankees hold a significant advantage because of their depth. These two clubs ranked first and second in MLB during the season in runs scored and slugging percentage.

One notable difference is lineup depth. The Red Sox had five regulars who posted an above-average OPS+, but the bottom three of Ian Kinsler, Sandy Leon, Jackie Bradley Jr. were all well below-average. Leon was especially bad, hitting .177/.232/.279 with a 37 OPS+.

By comparison, Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw had a 73 OPS+ in 2018 thanks to a .239/.340/.283 slash line.

The Yankees have six regulars with an above-average OPS+ and 12 different players hit at least 10 homers. Sanchez, whose season-long struggles have been well documented, rewrote his narrative with two homers in Game 2.

Gary Sanchez 3-Run Home Run

Sanchez has feasted on Boston pitching all year:

As the Red Sox continue to search for answers to their pitching woes and silent offense—they've scored just two runs over the past 14 innings—New York has taken all of the momentum back thanks to pitching depth and a lineup that is constantly on the attack.

The Red Sox need Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez and Andrew Benintendi playing at their best to win. The Yankees can get by with an off night from Giancarlo Stanton and Didi Gregorius because Judge and Sanchez can do what they did on Saturday.

What's Next?

Yankee Stadium will play host to Game 3 on Monday at 7:40 p.m. ET. Boston will send former AL Cy Young winner Rick Porcello (17-7, 4.28 ERA) to the mound against New York ace Luis Severino (19-8, 3.39 ERA).

Advanced stats courtesy of Baseball Reference.