Aaron Judge delivered another clutch moment with a ninth-inning solo shot, but the New York Yankees (42-26) couldn’t capitalize in extra innings, falling 2-1 to the Boston Red Sox (35-36) on Friday night at Fenway Park.
The Yankees offense was stifled all night by Boston’s Garrett Crochet, who avenged last weekend’s rough outing with 8.1 dominant innings. New York mustered only four hits, two from Anthony Volpe, and left four runners on base. Before Judge’s blast, the top of the order had gone hitless.
Judge finally broke through in the ninth, blasting a 443-foot home run off a 100-mph fastball, his league-leading 26th, tying the game. But in the 10th, miscues erased that momentum. Volpe was called out attempting to steal third, and DJ LeMahieu was ejected after a disputed foul ball and groundout ended the frame.
Ryan Yarbrough gave the Yankees 4.2 gritty innings, allowing just one run before turning it over to a solid bullpen effort. Jonathan Loáisiga, Ian Hamilton, and Fernando Cruz combined to keep Boston off the board until the 10th. With the ghost runner on third and two outs, Carlos Narvaez drove a walk-off single off the Green Monster to seal the win for the Red Sox.
The Yankees will look to bounce back Saturday behind Carlos Rodón as they try to even the series. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].