NEW YORK (AP) — Juan Soto hit a game-ending single leading off the 10th inning to lift the New York Yankees over the Boston Red Sox 2-1 Thursday night as Aaron Judge’s homerless streak stretched to a career-high 16 games.
With pinch-runner Jon Berti on second as the automatic runner, Soto grounded a single against Josh Winckowski (4-2) just past the glove of diving shortstop Trevor Story, and Berti slid home ahead of center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela’s throw to give the Yankees back-to-back walk-off wins for the first time in three years.
Judge, who leads the major leagues with 51 homers and 126 RBIs, went 1 for 4 with a single and is batting .207 (12 for 58) with 21 strikeouts since Aug. 26.
Gleyber Torres homered off Cooper Criswell leading off the first and Danny Jansen went deep against Nestor Cortes starting the fifth. Acquired from Toronto in late July, Jansen hit his third home run for Boston and first since Aug. 10.
New York (85-62) won for the fifth time in seven games and opened a two-game AL East lead over second-place Baltimore (83-64), the Yankees’ largest since before play on Aug. 27. The Yankees have won seven straight series openers.
Boston (74-73) dropped 4 1/2 games back of Minnesota (78-68) for the final AL wild card.
Clay Holmes (3-5), demoted from his closer’s role after blowing 12 saves in 41 chances, retired the last two batters of the 10th as Nestor Cortes and four relievers combined on a four-hitter.
Anthony Volpe left the bases loaded with inning-ending flyouts in the fourth and sixth.
Coming off his first relief appearance in three years, 4 1/3 hitless innings at the Chicago Cubs, Cortes allowed three hits and three walks in five innings with nine strikeouts. He has allowed 24 homers this year, eight more than previous career high.
Criswell gave up four hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings.
Rafaela’s 102.3 mph liner leading off the eighth knocked off the glove of Yankees reliever Tim Hill, who picked up the ball with his bare left hand and threw to first for the out.
Giancarlo Stanton, in a 1-for-26 slide, blooped an opposite-field single into right in the fourth. 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. Olympic women’s soccer team were honored on the field before the national anthem.
