Juan Soto hit a single to end the game in the 10th inning, helping the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 2-1 on Thursday night. This win came as Aaron Judge’s streak without a home run reached a career-high 16 games.
With Jon Berti, the pinch-runner, on second base as the automatic runner, Soto managed to hit a sinker on the outside corner and ground a single past shortstop Trevor Story, who made a diving attempt but missed.
Ceddanne Rafaela, the center fielder, made a one-hop throw that went up the third-base line. Berti slid in head first, beating catcher Connor Wong’s lunging tag, giving the Yankees back-to-back walk-off wins for the first time since May 8 and 9, 2021, against Washington.
Soto was swarmed by his teammates on the field and said he would always remember his first walk-off hit for the Yankees.
Soto commented, “The crowd, my teammates and everybody, I mean, those guys they were running hard on me. I just did not know where to go.”
Judge, who leads the major leagues with 51 home runs and 126 RBIs, went 1 for 4 with a single in the game. He has been hitting .207 (12 for 58) with 21 strikeouts since August 26. His previous homerless streak was 15 games from August 17 to September 2 in 2017.
Judge hit a ball in the first inning that Wilyer Abreu caught in front of the right-field wall and a 104.7 mph grounder in the fifth inning that third baseman Rafael Devers fielded with a spinning stop and turned into an inning-ending double play.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said, “Homers, even for guys like him, they still come in bunches and you’re going to have those stretches. I guess it’s amazing that he has avoided those.
But, I mean, that’s just a testament to how good of a hitter and how much power he has but I thought he had good at-bats tonight and almost got one.”
Gleyber Torres hit a home run off Cooper Criswell to start the game in the first inning, and Danny Jansen homered off Nestor Cortes in the fifth inning. Jansen, who joined Boston from Toronto in late July, hit his third home run for the Red Sox and his first since August 10.
New York (85-62) won their fifth game out of the last seven, moving ahead of Baltimore (83-64) by two games in the AL East. This is their biggest lead since August 27. The Yankees have now won seven straight series openers.
Boston (74-73) fell 4 1/2 games behind Minnesota (78-68) for the final AL wild card spot.
Devers said, “You have to stay positive. You can come tomorrow and win then win the next two games and you’re right back there again in the fire. Keep playing and stay positive.”
Clay Holmes (3-5), who lost his closer role after 12 blown saves out of 41 chances, got the final two outs in the 10th inning. Nestor Cortes and four relievers combined to allow only four hits.
Anthony Volpe left the bases loaded with flyouts to end the fourth and sixth innings.
Cortes, who had just come off a hitless relief appearance to win against the Chicago Cubs, gave up three hits and three walks in five innings while striking out nine. He has allowed 24 home runs this year, which is eight more than his previous career high.
Cortes said, “There’s always that chip on my shoulder as far as belonging here, belonging in the big leagues, and I never want to lose that edge. That’s what keeps me going.”
He accepted his bullpen role but had expressed frustration after the September 7 game in Chicago, stating, “Obviously I was upset. I felt like I’ve been, amongst all the starters, the workhorse here.
Once (Gerrit) Cole went down, they picked me to be the opening day starter—not necessarily the No. 1, but the opening day starter. I had to switch my routine there. … Now they do this.”
