The Boston Red Sox aren’t looking to be the team that lets the New York Yankees punch their ticket into the postseason.
The Red Sox emerged victorious Wednesday in a constant back-and-forth with the Yankees, exploding for four runs in the 11th inning to take the 9-5 win. New York had a chance to clinch a wild-card spot and get its 10,000th franchise win, but its biggest rivals weren’t going to let that happen.
Mookie Betts was a huge part of the win, hitting two home runs — one that tied the game at 5-5 and another that put it out of reach at 9-5.
Here’s how it all went down.
GAME IN A WORD
Seesaw.
The Red Sox came out swinging, scoring three runs in the first and taking a 4-1 lead by the fourth inning, but the Yankees struck back in the fifth to even the score. New York then pulled ahead on an Alex Rodriguez solo home run in the sixth, but Betts hit a solo shot of his own in the next frame to tie things up. Again.
IT WAS OVER WHEN …
The Red Sox enjoyed a four-run 11th inning to go up 9-5.
Obviously, it’s good any time a visiting team can get a run in extra innings, but the Red Sox getting four put the game out of reach. One run would have been attainable for the Yankees with Boston’s often-underwhelming bullpen, but four put the nail in the coffin.
ON THE BUMP
— Wade Miley started strong but fell apart in the fifth inning. The left-hander gave up three hits and three walks in the bottom half of the frame, as the Yankees scored three runs and evened the score at 4-4.
Miley finished the night with four runs on nine hits with four walks and three strikeouts over five innings.
— Matt Barnes ended his scoreless innings streak at eight when he gave up a two-out solo shot to Alex Rodriguez in the sixth inning to put the Yankees up 5-4.
— Heath Hembree made it through 1/3 of the seventh inning, walking Brian McCann and being pulled for Tommy Layne when pinch-runner Rico Noel made it to third base on a flyout by Brett Gardner.
Layne got the last two runners out in the seventh and came back for the eighth. However, he was pulled after walking two straight batters. Layne managed to get one out when Jacoby Ellsbury was caught stealing.
— Noe Ramirez didn’t last very long, either, as he walked Rodriguez immediately after being called upon in the eighth.
— Jean Machi took over for Ramirez and got Carlos Beltran to ground into a fielder’s choice, but he walked Dustin Ackley after that to load the bases. Machi got out of the jam when Gardner grounded out.
— Alexi Ogando came out in the ninth, and he got the job done. Ogando started things off with a single to catcher John Ryan Murphy but retired the next three batters to avoid any damage.
He held it down in the 10th, too, with his only blemish being a walk to Beltran.
— Robbie Ross Jr. gave up a leadoff single in the 11th, but a lineout and a double play finished off the win for the Red Sox.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— Travis Shaw started things off with a three-run home run in the first inning, scoring Xander Bogaerts and David Ortiz on his 13th long ball of the season. Shaw added a single in the 11th to go 2-for-5 with two runs and three RBIs on the night.
— Betts had a night, hitting two important home runs for Boston. His solo shot in the seventh tied the score at 5-5, and his two-run homer in the 11th put the Sox up 9-5. The outfielder ended the night 2-for-6 with two runs and three RBIs.
— Deven Marrero didn’t get a hit until the 11th inning, but it was an RBI single that scored Shaw and put the Red Sox on top 6-5.
— Blake Swihart hit singles in the eighth and 11th innings, going 2-for-5 with a run scored.
— Jackie Bradley Jr. went 0-for-4, but he hit a sacrifice bunt in the 11th that put the Red Sox up 7-5.
— Dustin Pedroia (2-for-6), Bogaerts (1-for-5) and Brock Holt (1-for-5) also added some offense for the Red Sox.
— David Ortiz went 2-for-2 with a walk, a run, an RBI single and a double but was lifted in the sixth inning for pinch runner Josh Rutledge. It appears the Red Sox are taking it easy on the 39-year-old designated hitter to finish out the season.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox finish out their series with the Yankees on Thursday in a 7:05 p.m. ET game. Rich Hill will look to see if he can continue his spectacular run for Boston — he’s 2-0 with a 1.17 ERA and 30 strikeouts in three outings — while the Yankees send CC Sabathia to the mound.
Thumbnail photo via Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports Images
