New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox

BOSTON – The Yankees are historically more well-known for their bats than their arms; it has been more than six decades since they last authored three consecutive shutouts. Max Fried’s splendid performance brought them within striking distance. Carrying a three-run lead to the mound after Amed Rosario’s first-inning homer, Fried delivered eight scoreless innings in a 4-1 victory over the Red Sox on Wednesday evening at Fenway Park, leading New York to its season-high fifth straight win. “Playing the Red Sox is always a little different; there’s a little bit more of an intensity to it,” Fried said. “Especially this early on, we want to play our brand of baseball to try to win as many games as we possibly can.” The Yanks came within one out of a third consecutive shutout, something they haven’t achieved since June 1962. Fried’s effort built upon strong starts by Ryan Weathers and Luis Gil; then, it was Ralph Terry, Bill Stafford and Whitey Ford tossing zeroes. Plenty has changed over that span, but this hasn’t: The Yankees still love taking care of business against the Red Sox. Wednesday’s win secured a series victory, and New York has won five of its past six against Boston dating to last season, outscoring the Sox 28-13. “Starting pitching sets the tone for everything,” manager Aaron Boone said. “We know how tough this place is to play. Any time you can get wins early in the season, those are precious.” Rosario continued his track record of success against left-handed pitching, launching his fourth homer of the season, a blast off Ranger Suarez that cleared the Green Monster. The infielder has showcased an increase in bat speed and launch angle since being acquired by the Yankees last July. Rosario credited his work at Driveline, an Arizona-based lab that focuses on improving performance with advanced biomechanical info. “I felt there was a chance to do that, if we worked on the points, you can improve on power,” said Rosario, who also lifted a third-inning sacrifice fly. “The results have been progressing, little by little.” Rosario’s impact is felt even when he’s not in the lineup; last season, he was part of “La Esquina Caliente,” or “The Hot Corner,” a lively dugout cheering section. Rosario is also consistently one of the first players off the bench when a teammate homers. Yet it was Rosario’s on-field performance that prompted the club to pursue him as a free agent this past offseason. As Boone put it, “He was one of those guys we wanted to make sure