NEW YORK (AP) — Juan Soto hit a game-winning single early in the 10th inning to help the New York Yankees to a 2-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night. The move extended Aaron Judge’s home run streak to 16 games, the highest of his career.
With pinch-runner Jon Berti on second base as the automatic runner, Soto reached for a sinker on the outside corner and hit a single to Josh Winckowski (4-2) just behind shortstop Trevor Story, who attempted a backhand dive.
Centerfielder Ceddanne Rafaela’s one-hop throw went all the way to the third-base line and Berti slid in headfirst before catcher Connor Wong attempted a lunge tag, giving the Yankees two consecutive walk-off wins for the first time since May 8 and 9, 2021 against Washington.
Soto was mobbed in the infield and said he would remember his first walk-off hit for the Yankees.
“The crowd, my teammates and everybody, I mean, those guys, they were pushing me hard,” he said. “I just didn’t know where to go.”
Judge, who leads the major leagues with 51 home runs and 126 RBIs, is 1 for 4 with a single and has a .207 batting average (12 for 58) with 21 strikeouts since Aug. 26. He went 15 games without a home run from Aug. 17 to Sept. 2, 2017.
He hit a first-inning drive that was caught by Wilyer Abreu outside the right outfield boundary and a 105-mph grounder that third baseman Rafael Devers caught with a spinning stop and turned into an inning-ending double play in the fifth inning.
“Home runs still come in droves even for guys like him and there’s going to be those periods,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “I guess it’s amazing that he avoided them. But I mean, that’s just a testament to how good a hitter he is and how much power he has, but I thought he had good at-bats tonight and almost hit one.”
Gleyber Torres hit a home run against Cooper Criswell in the top of the first inning and Danny Jansen hit a home run against Nestor Cortes in the top of the fifth inning. Jansen, acquired from Toronto in late July, hit his third home run for Boston and his first since Aug. 10.
New York (85-62) won for the fifth time in seven games to extend its lead in the AL East over second-place Baltimore (83-64) to two games. This is the Yankees’ largest lead since the Aug. 27 game. The Yankees have won seven straight openers.
Boston (74-73) lost 4 1/2 games to Minnesota (78-68) and secured the last AL wildcard.
“You have to stay positive,” Devers told reporters. “You can come in tomorrow and win, then win the next two games and you’re back in the thick of it. Keep playing and stay positive.”
Clay Holmes (3-5), demoted from his role as closer after wasting 12 of 41 chances, retired the last two batters of the 10th inning as Nestor Cortes and four relievers combined for four hits.
Anthony Volpe loaded the bases with inning-ending flyouts in the fourth and sixth innings.
After his first relief pitcher appearance in three years, throwing 4 1/3 hitless innings in a win over the Chicago Cubs, Cortes allowed three hits and three walks in five innings with nine strikeouts. He has allowed 24 home runs this year, eight more than his previous career high.
“I always have the drive to belong here, in the big league, and I never want to lose that grit,” he said. “That’s what keeps me going.”
Cortes accepted the bullpen role, but complained after the Sept. 7 game in Chicago: “Of course I was upset. I felt like I was the workhorse here among all the starters. When (Gerrit) Cole went down, they chose me as the Opening Day starter – not necessarily No. 1, but the Opening Day starter. I had to change my routine there. … Now they’re doing that.”
After the game against the Red Sox, he said, “I know I may have seemed like I was asking for too much last week, but I made my point and at the end of the day, I’m going to do whatever this team asks of me to win, whether it’s making 40 or 70 pitches out of the bullpen or starting an entire game.”
Criswell allowed four hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings.
Rafaela’s 102.3 mph liner to start the eighth inning bounced off the glove of reliever Tim Hill, who picked up the ball with his bare left hand and threw it to first base for an out.
Giancarlo Stanton hit a 1-for-26 slide single into the right outfield in the fourth inning. Rizzo was hit by a pitch for the 220th time.
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred met separately with both teams before the game.
Tierna Davidson, Crystal Dunn, Rose Lavelle, Emily Sonnett and Lynn Williams of the gold medal-winning U.S. women’s soccer team were honored on the field before the national anthem.
TRAINING ROOM
Red Sox: RF Rob Refsnyder was left out of the roster due to right wrist discomfort and was replaced by Romy González, who then came in as a pinch runner in the 10th inning.
Next
Boston All-Star RHP Tanner Houck (8-10, 3.24) is scheduled to start Friday after eight days of rest after being held back because of soreness. RHP Clarke Schmidt (5-3, 2.23) makes his second start for the Yankees since recovering from a right latissimus strain.
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