Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Eric Patterson singled in Bill Hall in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift the Boston Red Sox to a 7-6 win over the New York Yankees in the second game of a doubleheader at Fenway Park.
Red Sox Walk Off In Tenth To Earn Doubleheader Split
In order for New York to win the division, it needs to win Sunday and the Rays to lose, because Tampa Bay won the season series. In any other scenario, the Rays will win the AL East and New York will take the wild card spot.
New York held a 6-4 lead after seven innings, but Boston rallied to tie the game in the eighth. Pinch-hitter Jed Lowrie worked a leadoff walk off Royce Ring and Ryan Kalish followed with a single. Ivan Nova (1-2) then took over pitching duties for the Yankees, but surrendered a run-scoring single to Daniel Nava.
After Nova retired the next batter, he walked pinch-hitter David Ortiz and Kevin Cash to force in a run. However, Nova retired the next two batters to get out of the inning.
Robert Manuel (1-0) worked around a one-out double by Francisco Cervelli to pitch a scoreless ninth, and Nova worked a scoreless bottom half. The Yankees had runners on the corners with two away in the 10th, but Manuel got pinch- hitter Jorge Posada to pop out to short.
Nova remained on the mound in the bottom half and faced Hall, who entered as a pinch-runner for Ortiz in the eighth. Hall had committed a critical error in the 10th inning of the doubleheader’s opener, which led to the go-ahead run.
However, he redeemed himself for that by leading off the inning with a double. Hall moved to third on a sacrifice bunt before Patterson slapped a single up the middle, ending the game.
The teams traded runs in the early innings, as neither starter was particularly sharp. Boston's Daisuke Matsuzaka allowed four runs (three earned) on three hits and five walks in five innings, while striking out six.
Meanwhile, the Yankees' A.J. Burnett gave up four runs (three earned) on six hits and two walks in six innings, with five strikeouts. While not dominant, the outing was still an improvement from his last two starts, in which he allowed a combined eight runs in 5 1/3 innings.
The Yankees got on the board in the first inning, when Matsuzaka hit Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano to load the bases with two away. He then walked Lance Berkman to force in a run.
Boston evened the game with an RBI single from Lars Anderson in the home half, but New York went back in front in the second. With runners on second and third and nobody out, Brett Gardner hit a run-scoring groundout before Curtis Granderson lofted a sacrifice fly to make it a 3-1 game.
Cervelli's sac fly in the third pushed the Yankees' lead to three, but Boston got the run back in the bottom half when Felipe Lopez led off with a homer.
Nava led off the fourth with a double and scored during the next at-bat. Berkman's fielding error allowed Josh Reddick to reach base, and Burnett's throwing error allowed Nava to cross the plate. Yamaico Navarro hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth to get Boston even at 4-4.
In the seventh, Cervelli hit an RBI single and Berkman scored on a wild pitch by Hideki Okajima to give the Yankees a two-run edge.
Manuel picked up his first major league win in his 13th appearance...Lopez’s homer was his first with the Red Sox. He went 3-for-5 overall...Cano had three hits for New York.
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