Masataka Yoshida hit a game-tying two-run homer against Clay Holmes with two outs in the ninth inning. Then, Ceddane Rafaela led off the 10th with a homer against Tommy Kahnle, helping the Boston Red Sox surprise the New York Yankees with a 5-3 victory on Friday night. This handed the Yankees their 14th loss in 18 games.
Boston rallied from a 3-0 deficit to secure its fifth consecutive win and 15th in the last 20 games. Romy Gonzalez started the comeback with a homer in the fifth inning.
Holmes, who hadn’t earned a save since June 9, allowed a two-out single to pinch-hitter Dominic Smith in the ninth. Yoshida battled back from an 0-2 count to launch a full-count pitch into the right-field seats for his third homer of the season, his first since April 20.
“That’s one of the biggest moments of my career with the Red Sox,” Yoshida said.
Holmes acknowledged his pitch selection might have been better: “Throwing six straight sinkers, maybe he saw one too many.”
It was the fifth blown save in 24 chances for Holmes.
Rafaela, facing Kahnle with automatic runner David Hamilton on second, hit a 1-0 fastball over the heart of the plate for his 10th home run of the season, landing it in Monument Park beyond center field.
“I’ve always been a Red Sox fan, and these are the type of games I always dreamed about playing,” Rafaela said. “These are the moments I really wanted to experience.”
Justin Slaten (5-2) pitched a perfect ninth inning for the win, and Kenley Jansen closed it out with his 17th save in 18 opportunities, tying Francisco Rodríguez for fifth with his 437th career save. Despite a threat with two runners on base, Jansen got Aaron Judge and Alex Verdugo to pop out, and Oswaldo Cabrera grounded out to end the game.
