Wall Street has nothing on the Yankees when it comes to being greedy.
Minutes after their eight-game winning streak was snapped by a 5-4 loss to the Red Sox in front of 46,899 at Yankee Stadium on Thursday night, Aaron Boone admitted greed is never far from a major league team’s mindset.
“Yeah, you walk off there disappointed but proud of the way the guys continued to compete and give us a chance at the end on a night when it doesn’t look that way,’’ Boone said of his club that scored four runs in the seventh to tie the score.
“Yeah, every time you leave something out there you think of what ifs and all that but that is part of it and part of the competition.’’
The loss, just the Yankees’ second in 19 games, dropped them into a first-place tie with the Red Sox in the AL East.
Four Red Sox runs off CC Sabathia before rain halted play for 55 minutes in the top of the fifth put the Yankees in a hole they were able to climb out of against the Red Sox bullpen that spit out four runs in the seventh.
Dellin Betances, who worked a clean seventh, opened the eighth by watching J.D. Martinez’s fly ball eke over the short right-field wall for a home run that eventually turned out to be the difference.
CC SabathiaAnthony J. Causi“I was hoping it stayed in,’’ Betances said of the homer that was gloved by a fan before Aaron Judge got his leather to the ball. “I don’t know how [Martinez] got it. The pitch was in. It’s not a home run in any other park but it was a home run today.’’
Judge blamed himself for not getting above the imaginary line quicker to snare the ball that landed in the first row.
“I ran into him [a fan] but once it gets past that [imaginary] line it’s fair game,’’ Judge said, who looked around afterward to see if the ball had remained in the park. “If I had gotten a better read, that is what it came down to. I just missed it.’’
Martinez said he wasn’t sure he had enough to carry the necessary 315 feet for a homer.
“When I hit it I was blowing, praying, doing everything I can to push it over,’’ he said. “[I] knew I had a chance.’’
As for Sabathia, he appeared irked by plate umpire Stu Scheurwater’s floating strike zone, but didn’t dig too deeply into it, simply saying, “It is what it is.’’
Trailing 4-0 going into the seventh after not scoring against Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez across five innings and Matt Barnes in the sixth, the Yankees rallied against Heath Hembree and Joe Kelly for four runs and threatened in the eighth before Kelly caught Neil Walker looking for the final out to strand two.
Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres singled and Walker, a pinch-hitter for Ronald Torreyes, walked with one out in the seventh. Kelly, the newest villain in the best rivalry in sports, surfaced and walked Brett Gardner to force in a run. Judge followed with a single to left for another run and the ice-cold Didi Gregorius’ grounder to the right side forced Judge at second but scored Walker and moved Gardner to third. Kelly uncorked a wild pitch while working to Giancarlo Stanton to score Gardner and tie the score 4-4. It also moved Gregorius to second.
What remained from the sold-out crowd in the wet seats and Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez in Hal Steinbrenner’s box were on their feet anticipating Stanton delivering the big hit that has become part of the Yankees’ daily routine. But Stanton grounded out to the right side, ending the inning.
Craig Kimbrel, the Red Sox closer who was spanked by the Yankees on Wednesday night, struck out Gardner swinging at a high strike to start the ninth. Judge flied to center and Gregorius, who is stuck in an 0-for-24 rut, ended it with a tap back to Kimbrel.
In the late ’70s Meat Loaf sang, “Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad,’’ which every baseball team would gladly accept all season long. Except when that team had won eight in a row, 17 of 18 and was looking to sweep three from its blood rivals.
