When Andrew Cashner joined the Red Sox via trade earlier this month, he made one thing clear: he couldn't wait to face the Yankees.
The 32-year-old right-hander got that opportunity on Friday night, and he didn't waste it.
Cashner's first two starts in a Red Sox uniform left plenty to be desired, but the third outing was a charm. The ex-Oriole limited the fearsome Yankees lineup to three runs in 6 1/3 innings pitched and struck out six.
Following the 10-5 victory, Cashner gave a simple yet perfect explanation for why he looks forward to facing the Yankees.
"Everyone grows up hating the Yankees, right?" he quipped.
Just the answer Boston fans wanted to hear.
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Like the Fenway faithful who gave Cashner a standing ovation when he exited the game in the seventh, Cora loved what he saw from the newest member of the rotation.
"He had good fastball command, slider was good, the changeup was good too. Velocity was up. He was excited about this one," Cora said in his postgame press conference. "It was a great one for Cash."
The Red Sox will look to carry the momentum from their first two wins in the series into Saturday night. They'll have left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez facing off against fellow southpaw CC Sabathia with first pitch set for 4:05 p.m. ET.
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