NEW YORK (AP) — Kiké Hernández snapped an 0-for-27 skid with a tiebreaking double in the eighth inning and the Boston Red Sox completed their major league-best 20th come-from-behind victory, beating the New York Yankees 7-3 Saturday night.
Hernández got his first RBI since May 20 by roping a two-out fastball from Chad Green (0-4) to the wall in left, scoring Rafael Devers from first.
Christian Vázquez scored Hernández a batter later with a grounder that skipped over the first-base bag, and Bobby Dalbec followed with a two-run homer estimated at 453 feet.
The Yankees dropped behind Toronto into fourth place in the AL East. They are 3-9 in their past 12 games, averaging just 2.4 runs. Clint Frazier hit into New York’s league-leading 55th double play in the seventh inning.
Former Yankees minor leaguer Garrett Whitlock (1-1) faced New York for the first time after Boston selected him in last year’s winter meeting draft. He allowed an inherited runner to score in the sixth but wasn’t charged with a run over 1 2/3 innings. He was credited with his first major league win.
Another former Yankee, Adam Ottavino, pitched a perfect eighth in his return to the Bronx. Left fielder Alex Verdugo made a diving catch in the ninth before Brandon Workman walked two with two outs, prompting Cora to call on closer Matt Barnes.
Barnes struck out Kyle Higashioka for his 14th save.
Boston rallied without slugger J.D. Martinez, who was scratched from the lineup a night after jamming his left wrist into a base while sliding. Manager Alex Cora said Martinez is day to day.
After going 9-1 against Boston in 2020, New York has dropped the first two of 19 against the second-place Red Sox this year, this one in front of 20,019, the largest crowd at Yankee Stadium since the pandemic.
Gleyber Torres hit a two-run homer for New York for an early 2-0 lead, and he added a tying sacrifice fly in the sixth. He also made a heads-up defensive play in the second, cutting off a throw from the outfield and redirecting it to second for a rally-killing out.
Infielders Gio Urshela and DJ LeMahieu also made early web gems for New York, but left fielder Miguel Andújar’s blunder in the sixth allowed Boston to begin its comeback.
Andújar lost track of the outfield wall and let Xander Bogaerts’ catchable fly fall for a double, setting up Devers’ tying, two-run single that chased starter Jameson Taillon.
Marwin González hit an RBI single two batters later off Jonathan Loaisiga to put Boston ahead 3-2.
Taillon was charged with three runs in 5 1/3 innings. He allowed six hits and a walk, struck out three and threw 76 pitches.
Torres’ homer off Eduardo Rodriguez was a no-doubter to left, and he watched it the whole way before throwing his bat and starting his trot. It was the 24-year-old’s third homer of the season and first since May 21. The two-time All-Star hit 38 homers in 2019 but has just six since.
Rodriguez allowed three runs in 5 1/3 innings, striking out seven on 88 pitches. He avoided losing a fifth straight start. Boston had given him a total of one run of support over those games.
The Red Sox have allowed one or zero home runs in 21 of their past 22 games.
WHILE THE GITTENS IS GOOD
The Yankees promoted slugging prospect Chris Gittens from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, hoping the hulking 27-year-old can provide a jolt at first base in his first turn in the majors. New York entered Saturday with its first basemen hitting .174 with five homers. The group’s .531 OPS ranks 29th in the majors, ahead of only Cleveland. Gittens has a 1.071 OPS with the RailRiders.
The 6-foot-4, 250-pound Gittens was 0 for 3 with a walk.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Red Sox: RHP Ryan Brasier has left a hospital and returned home after taking a line drive to the head during a simulated game in Fort Myers on Friday. Brasier has a concussion and a cut over his right ear, but Cora said the club is relieved the diagnosis wasn’t worse. Brasier is on the injured list with a strained left calf.
Yankees: RHP Luis Severino will make a rehab start Sunday for Low-A Tampa, his first appearance since having Tommy John surgery on Feb. 27, 2020. … LHP Zack Britton (surgery March 15 to remove bone chip from left elbow) pitched a scoreless inning in his third rehab appearance with Double-A Somerset. His next outing will be Tuesday for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. … RHP Corey Kluber (shoulder) was transferred to the 60-day injured list.
UP NEXT
Red Sox RHP Garrett Richards (4-4, 3.75) faces Yankees RHP Domingo Germán (4-3, 3.27) in the finale of the three-game set.
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