NEW YORK (AP) — Cody Bellinger’s tiebreaking homer sparked a five-run eighth inning capped by Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s three-run drive, and the banged-up New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 6-1 on Sunday.
Bellinger drove a cutter from Justin Slaten (0-3) into the right-center seats for a 2-1 lead. Trent Grisham added an RBI single and Chisholm went deep on a cutter against Joe La Sorsa.
New York (38-26) gained a split of the rain-shortened, two-game series and moved within percentage points of first-place Tampa Bay (37-25), which has led the AL East since May 10.
Tim Hill (3-2) pitched a perfect eighth.
New York is missing a trio of regulars who are on the injured list: Aaron Judge (fractured rib), Giancarlo Stanton (calf strain) and Austin Wells (cervical headaches). In five games without Judge, the Yankees are batting .226 with 19 runs.
Pitching against the team he rooted for growing up, Yankees starter Cam Schlittler dropped his ERA to 1.87 with his ninth start allowing no runs or one. He gave up an RBI double with two outs in the sixth to his last batter, Willson Contreras.
Schlittler’s four-seam fastball averaged 97.5 mph, down from 99.6 mph on May 4 but up from 96.8 mph in his previous start Tuesday against Cleveland.
José Caballero doubled in the fifth and scored when Paul Goldschmidt lofted an opposite-field RBI single to right just in front of Wilyer Abreu, who nearly made a sliding, backhand grab.
Boston starter Ranger Suarez, who is 0-1 in six starts since April 27, gave up one run and six hits in 6 1/3 innings.
With Wells sidelined, catcher Ali Sánchez started and went 0 for 2 in his Yankees debut.
Boston second baseman Anthony Siegler had a double and a walk in his Yankee Stadium debut. He was drafted 23rd overall by New York in 2018 and allowed to become a free agent after the 2024 season.
New York outfielder Jasson Domínguez, sidelined since May 7 by a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder, could rejoin the Yankees on their trip to Cleveland and Toronto that starts Monday.
Up next
Red Sox: LHP Connelly Early (5-3, 3.26 ERA) starts Monday’s series opener at Tampa Bay.
Yankees: RHP Will Warren (7-1, 3.22 ERA) starts Monday’s opener against Cleveland RHP Gavin Williams (9-3, 3.20).
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