Runs were difficult to come by all weekend at Yankee Stadium, and one big mistake by second baseman Gleyber Torres was just the break Boston needed Sunday night.
Kiké Hernández hit a tiebreaking single in the 10th inning and the scuffling Red Sox beat the New York Yankees 3-2 with the help of Torres’ late error.
Despite scoring just seven runs in three days, last-place Boston (33-33) took two of three games in the first series this season between the longtime rivals because its pitching staff shut down a sputtering Yankees lineup missing injured outfielders Aaron Judge and Harrison Bader.
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“Hopefully we can build off of this,” manager Alex Cora said. “If we keep doing this from the mound, then, we know we’re going to hit. That’s just a matter of time.”
Justin Turner homered and Brayan Bello fired seven efficient innings for the Red Sox, matching his career high.
Jose Trevino’s early two-run single that took a lucky bounce off second base was one of only three hits for the Yankees — and all the offense they could muster.
Chris Martin worked a hitless inning for his 10th career save and first for the Red Sox. With a runner on third, he struck out Trevino and rookie Anthony Volpe to end it.
“I think overall it was a great series for the team,” Hernández said. “Offensively, we obviously didn’t burst out and score a bunch of runs — but we did what we had to do.”
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Hernández’s sharp single off Ron Marinaccio (2-3) in the 10th scored pinch-runner Adam Duvall, placed at second base as the automatic runner before advancing to third on Triston Casas’ groundout to the right side.
Billy McKinney made a leaping catch of Pablo Reyes’ drive at the top of the left-field fence to prevent further damage.
Kenley Jansen (2-3) worked a 1-2-3 ninth for the win.
Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt threw 5 1/3 effective innings, retiring his final eight batters, and New York carried a 2-1 lead into the eighth.
Hernández led off with a single against Michael King and scampered to second on a lazy-looking error by Torres, who failed to corral a routine one-hop throw from McKinney in left.
“I think I was looking too fast (at) the runner and just missed the ball. That’s on me,” Torres said. “The throw was perfect.”
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That proved costly for the Yankees. King walked Reese McGuire, Reyes’ sacrifice bunt advanced two runners and Hernández scored the tying run on Jarren Duran’s RBI groundout.
“It feels like I failed,” Torres said. “We lost and that feels terrible.”
Turner homered leading off the second. In the bottom half, Hernández was positioned perfectly to field Trevino’s grounder behind second base, but the ball caromed off the bag into center field for a two-run single.
“I felt like saying, ‘You know what? Let’s go home. This is just, wow,’” Cora said. “It’s like, this can’t happen now. But it’s baseball, right? We’ve just got to keep grinding.”
Hernández dropped his head in disbelief. But the 24-year-old Bello smiled, shook it off and focused on the fact he induced what could’ve easily been an inning-ending grounder. And he didn’t give up anything else the rest of the way.
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“I was glad that I was able to keep my focus during that situation,” Bello said through a translator.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Red Sox: McGuire made his second consecutive start at catcher instead of Connor Wong, one of several Red Sox feeling under the weather lately. Wong pinch ran for McGuire in the eighth.
Yankees: LHP Carlos Rodón (back) threw 29 pitches against Bader and fellow teammate Willie Calhoun in a simulated game. “I thought he looked really good,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Probably stuff-wise, as good as I’ve seen him going back to spring.” Rodón is scheduled to face hitters again Thursday and then start a minor league rehab assignment next week. … Calhoun was hit near the left elbow by a wayward pitch from Rodón, but remained in the leadoff spot against Boston. “Scary moment,” Boone said. “Fortunately it looks like Willie’s fine.” … Boone said he wasn’t sure if Bader (right hamstring strain) would be ready to return from the injured list Tuesday or Wednesday against the Mets. “I know today looked like it went really well,” Boone said. “It does look like he’s getting really close.” … RHP Ryan Weber planned to receive a platelet-rich plasma injection. Rather than undergoing surgery, he will try to rehab his right forearm strain.
UP NEXT
Red Sox: Return home to begin a three-game series Monday night against Colorado. LHP James Paxton (2-1, 3.81 ERA) faces former Boston RHP Connor Seabold (1-2, 5.10), traded to the Rockies in January after going 0-4 with an 11.29 ERA in five starts for the Red Sox last season.
Yankees: Following a day off Monday, visit the Mets across town Tuesday night at Citi Field for the opener of a two-game Subway Series absent Judge and injured Mets slugger Pete Alonso. RHP Luis Severino (0-1, 5.75 ERA) makes his fifth start of the season against three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (5-2, 3.71). Severino has served up three homers in each of his past two outings.
