NEW YORK — Juan Soto hit a game-winning single early in the 10th inning to give the New York Yankees a 2-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night. It 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 hit a single against Josh Winckowski (4-2) just past the glove of diving shortstop Trevor Story, and Berti slid home before center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela’s throw, giving the Yankees two consecutive walk-off wins for the first time in three years.
Judge, who leads the major leagues with 51 home runs and 126 RBI, went 1 for 4 with a single and has a batting average of .207 (12 for 58) with 21 strikeouts since Aug. 26.
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.
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 appearance in three years, 4 1/3 hitless innings with 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.
Criswell allowed four hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings.
Rafaela’s 102 mph (164 km/h) throw at the start of the eighth inning bounced off the glove of Yankees relief pitcher Tim Hill, who picked up the ball with his bare left hand and threw it into 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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AP MLB: https://www.apnews.com/hub/MLB
