Final, Yankees win 8-7: Derek Jeter has not committed to playing in the season-ending series at Fenway Park, so if this was his last game in Boston, he went out with a “W.”
Christian Vazquez walked, marking the fourth time tonight he has reached base. Mookie Betts pinch-ran for Vazquez.
Down by a run, the Red Sox took a gamble and it bit them. After several throws over, Betts took off on a hit-and-run and was left out to dry when Brock Holt lined out to third baseman Chase Headley. Dustin Pedroia sent a full-count fastball down the left-field line, but foul, before grounding out to Jeter.
It was a rough finish to the game by the Red Sox, who scored seven runs through the first four innings but did not record a hit after David Ortiz’s two-run homer in the fourth.
Mid 9th, Yankees 8-7: There’s the slightest chance Jeter might not make the trip to Boston for the final series of the season. If so, he can say he got a hit in his final at-bat at Fenway Park.
Jeter grounded straight up the middle and Pedroia was unable to get the throw to first in time, crediting Jeter with an infield hit. His time on base didn’t last long, though, as Ellsbury immediately grounded into a double play.
Teixeira flied out to left for the third out.
David Robertson will attempt to close this out for New York.
End 8th, Yankees 8-7: Nobody was touching Betances in the eighth.
Nava hit a nubber to second, then Bogaerts and Bradley fanned. So give Nava credit for making contact, anyway.
Mid 8th, Yankees 8-7: Edward Mujica came on for the Red Sox and gave them their second straight 1-2-3 inning.
Drew popped out to shallow center, then Prado grounded out to short. Gardner hit another ball hard, but Napoli snagged the hot grounder and tossed to Mujica to just beat Gardner to the bag.
Fireballer Dellin Betances is coming in for the Yankees, with Ichiro replacing Prado in right.
End 7th, Yankees 8-7: The Red Sox are running out of at-bats in a long game that is suddenly rocketing toward the finish.
Ortiz flied out to center and Cespedes went down swinging, but only after feeling some chin music from Rogers. Then Headley charged a weak grounder by Napoli and fired to first base, where Teixeira was barely able to keep his foot on the bag for the out.
Mid 7th, Yankees 8-7: Tazawa held the Yankees despite getting literally tripped up.
After retiring Beltran on a groundout, Tazawa stumbled while delivering a pitch to McCann. After a brief visit to the mound by the Red Sox coaching staff, Tazawa got McCann to pop out in four territory near third and Headley to strike out swinging.
End 6th, Yankees 8-7: The Red Sox went down quickly again in the sixth.
Bradley flied out, Vazquez walked, Holt grounded to first and Pedroia lifted a can of corn to right. Inning over.
Junichi Tazawa coming in.
Mid 6th, Yankees 8-7: It doesn’t matter that Buchholz is out of the game. Gardner is still raking.
Gardner gave the Yankees the lead, welcoming Breslow to the game with a solo shot. Jeter grounded out for the fourth time in the game, and Ellsbury lined out to center. Teixeira grounded out to third.
End 5th, game tied 7-7: Whitley gave way to Esmil Rogers, who sat down the Red Sox in order.
Napoli went down looking, Nava flied out and Bogaerts went down swinging. On we go to the sixth, with Craig Brewslow about to relieve Buchholz.
Mid 5th, game tied 7-7: Buchholz wasn’t able to hold the lead for long.
Ellsbury flied out to center and Teixeira grounded out to first before Beltran doubled. On pitch No. 100 of the game, Buchholz issued a full-count walk to McCann.
Beltran came around to score on a double over Cespedes’ head by Headley, and Drew finished the job with a two-run single to right to knot the score. That gave Drew four RBIs in the game.
The fifth inning mercifully ended for Buchholz when Prado looked at strike three. Buchholz is at 114 pitches through five.
End 4th, Red Sox 7-4: Ortiz will be showing Whitley who is the greatest DH is baseball history, thank you very much.
For the second time in as many at-bats, Vazquez hit a leadoff single before being wiped out at second base when Holt grounded into a fielder’s choice. Pedroia did the same as Holt.
But Ortiz broke the trend with some yard work, crushing — and we mean crushing — a two-run homer to center to give Boston some breathing room.
Cespedes hit a ball hard, too, but not quite hard enough as Ellsbury easily gloved it on the warning track.
Mid 4th, Red Sox 5-4: Can someone tell Buchholz it’s not necessary to run every batter to a full count? He’s pitching as though he forgot that.
McCann doubled off the wall and had to stay put when Headley lined out sharply right at Pedroia. Drew brought McCann home with a two-bagger to right to pull New York within a run.
Prado struck out on a weak excuse-me swing in a full count, followed by a walk by Gardner. That’s three times up and three times reaching base tonight for Gardner. Fortunately for Buchholz, Jeter was up to help out again. Jeter grounded into a force and Buchholz wriggled out, somehow with the lead intact.
After four innings of work, Buchholz has thrown 82 pitches.
End 3rd, Red Sox 5-3: Chase Whitley replaced Phelps, and things brightened up for New York.
Napoli put together a quality at-bat before flying out on the eighth pitch. Nava walked, but Bogaerts and Bradley, who are becoming automatic outs, both struck out.
Mid 3rd, Red Sox 5-3: Look at that, an easy inning for Buchholz.
Buchholz sandwiched a pair of backwards K’s to Ellsbury and Beltran around a flyout by Teixeira, breezing through the third after his rough second inning.
End 2nd, Red Sox 5-3: If the runs keep coming at this rate, we could be here all night.
Pedroia grabbed the lead back for the Red Sox with a two-run homer over the wall. The long ball followed a flyout by Jackie Bradley Jr. and a single by Christian Vazquez, who was forced out at second when Holt rolled into a fielder’s choice.
Ortiz calmly drew a five-pitch walk, watching the last two pitches standing almost completely upright with the bat on his shoulder. Phelps got out of the inning thanks to a great throw by Drew from way behind second base to get Cespedes at first.
Mid 2nd, game tied 3-3: Just like that, it’s tied.
Mark Teixeira walked on five pitches, Carlos Beltran singled sharply down the first-base line and Brian McCann walked to load the bases with no outs. Chase Headley struck out, which was helpful for Buchholz, as was Stephen Drew topping a potential double-play ball back to the mound.
Buchholz and Bogaerts could not turn the twin killing fast enough, though, allowing Teixeira to score from third and put the Yankees on the board. Martin Prado then took a walk to load ’em up yet again.
And the Yankees, yet again, made him pay.
Gardner ripped a double to right field, bringing home Beltran and Drew and tying the game. Pedroia finally got Buchholz out of the inning with a diving stop on a Jeter grounder for out No. 3.
End 1st, Red Sox 3-0: For the third time in this series, the Red Sox struck first.
Brock Holt slapped a single through the hole between third and short, then advanced to third on a hit-and-run single to right field by Dustin Pedroia. David Ortiz drove in Holt with a sacrifice liner to center to put the Red Sox on the board.
Yoenis Cespedes, who isn’t known for his plate discipline, kept it going by drawing a walk, and Mike Napoli loaded the bases with a sharp liner to right field. (Pedroia had to hold up to make sure it wasn’t caught, so he was not able to score from second.)
With the bases loaded and one out, Daniel Nava plated Pedroia and Cespedes with a solid base hit to right, but that was all Boston would get. Xander Bogaerts grounded into a 5-4-3 double play, letting Phelps breathe a sigh of relief.
Mid 1st, 0-0: Clay Buchholz looked like he might be in some trouble early, but he ended up getting out of the first without much problem.
Brett Gardner led off with a single — the third time in this series he has reached base to begin the game — but was wiped out when Derek Jeter grounded into a double play. Jacoby Ellsbury flied to center for the third out.
6:10 p.m. ET: Aside from Clay Buchholz on the mound, there is quite a bit of heft missing from Sunday’s Red Sox-Yankees matchup compared to seasons past.
Although the Yankees (56-53) still harbor hopes of a playoff spot, the Red Sox (49-61) are mired in last place in the American League East and made wholesale changes at last week’s trade deadline. One of those pickups, Yoenis Cespedes, will be in left field for his second appearance in a Red Sox uniform.
Right-hander David Phelps (5-5, 3.89 ERA) starts opposite Buchholz (5-7, 5.87), which means another night off for Will Middlebrooks. The recently recalled third baseman has struggled against righties this season, although even if he weren’t, he would still have trouble cracking the lineup over Brock Holt.
“Finding at-bats for Brock is going to come from the left side of the infield, as well as center field,” Red Sox manager John Farrell said. “He’s earned those at-bats, so I guess the better way to describe it would be that, from those three positions, he’s going to get nearly everyday at-bats.”
Daniel Nava is in right field for the second straight night, with Christian Vazquez behind the plate, where he should be almost indefinitely until David Ross returns from the disabled list.
Allen Craig (ankle) is not expected to play, while Shane Victorino (back) is en route to Los Angeles for a second opinion before possible season-ending surgery.
First pitch is set for 8 p.m.
