Yankees score 5 in 8th to beat Red Sox
The Yankees relied on a clutch eighth inning to knock off the Boston Red Sox 6-1 on Sunday at Yankee Stadium, earning a split of a rain-shortened two-game set and tightening the American League East race in the process.
The game was knotted at 1-1 entering the eighth, when Cody Bellinger turned the tide with a home run off Justin Slaten, sending a cutter into the right-center field seats to give New York a 2-1 lead. Trent Grisham followed with an RBI single, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. capped the rally with a three-run shot off Joe La Sorsa, blowing the game open and padding the Yankees' cushion as they improved to 38-26 on the season.
Tim Hill handled a clean eighth inning to earn the win, improving to 3-2 on the year, while Slaten fell to 0-3 with the loss.
With the victory, the Yankees crept within percentage points of the Tampa Bay Rays, who hold first place in the AL East at 37-25. Tampa Bay has held the division lead since May 10.
New York is making the climb without a handful of regulars. Aaron Judge is sidelined with a fractured rib, Giancarlo Stanton is out with a calf strain, and catcher Austin Wells is dealing with cervical headaches. In five games without Judge, the Yankees have batted just .226 and scored 19 runs, yet the offense found enough late to get the job done Sunday.
On the mound, Yankees starter Cam Schlittler turned in another strong outing against the team he grew up rooting for. He allowed just one run — an RBI double by Willson Contreras with two outs in the sixth, which came against Schlittler's final batter — over his 6-plus innings. The performance was his ninth start allowing no runs or one run, dropping his ERA to 1.87. His four-seam fastball averaged 97.5 mph, down from a 99.6 mph mark on May 4 but slightly up from his previous outing against Cleveland.
Boston's offense managed only sporadic chances. The Red Sox struck first in the fifth inning when José Caballero doubled and scored on an opposite-field RBI single by Paul Goldschmidt, dropping a ball into right just in front of Wilyer Abreu, who came close on a sliding backhand attempt.
Boston starter Ranger Suarez went 6 1/3 innings, giving up one run on six hits, but the bullpen couldn't hold the line in the eighth. Suarez is now 0-1 across his last six starts since April 27.
With Wells on the shelf, catcher Ali Sánchez made his Yankees debut and went 0-for-2 at the plate. On the other side, Boston second baseman Anthony Seigler — playing his first game at Yankee Stadium — picked up a double and a walk. Seigler was originally drafted 23rd overall by New York in 2018 before becoming a free agent after the 2024 season.
Looking ahead, outfielder Jasson Domínguez, out since May 7 with a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder, could rejoin the Yankees as they open a road trip Monday in Cleveland before heading to Toronto.
The Red Sox will send left-hander Connelly Early (5-3, 3.26 ERA) to the mound Monday to open a series at Tampa Bay. The Yankees will counter with right-hander Will Warren (7-1, 3.22 ERA) against Cleveland's Gavin Williams (9-3, 3.20 ERA) in their series opener.
