NEW YORK -- Alex Cora knew the move would decide the game and he went for it, but ultimately the aggressive approach didn't pay off.
The Red Sox led 6-5 in the bottom of the eighth inning and right-hander Matt Barnes put runners on the corners with one out and the Yankees had the top of their lineup coming up. For the first time since the middle of May last season, the Red Sox called on Craig Kimbrel to get a five-out save, but it didn't work out.
Kimbrel allowed a two-RBI triple to lead-off hitter Brett Gardner to give the Yankees a 7-6 lead and then the next batter Aaron Judge crushed a monster homer to dead-center, giving the Yankees some extra breathing room and a 9-6 win.
"With Gardner, fall behind 3-0, got back in the count, tried to go in on him, it leaked back over the plate and he put a good swing on it for a triple," Kimbrel said. "With the home run to center field, we were trying to elevate there, just didn't get it high enough. He got good wood to it and hit it out to center."
Judge's home run had an exit velocity of 117 MPH, according to Statcast. It's the hardest hit ball Kimbrel has allowed in the Statcast era (since 2015).
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It was the Yankees' second straight win over the Red Sox and they now are by themselves at the top of the American League East. The Red Sox had been in at least a share of first place since April 1. New York has now won eight straight games.
The Red Sox had trailed much of the game until Hanley Ramirez hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning that gave them a 6-5 lead at the time. It was his first homer since April 14 and spanned 82 at-bats. They seemed on their way to another come-from-behind win, but then came the fireworks in the eighth. It is worth noting the Red Sox squandered a big chance in the top of the eighth, as they had second and third with no outs and didn't score a run.
For all the action the game had, the talk will be bringing in Kimbrel in the eighth inning with one out, but it was undoubtedly the right move. That half inning was going to determine the outcome of the game.
This was exactly what Cora was talking about throughout spring training in talking with his closer about bringing him into the game in instances other than a clean ninth. With the Yankees' top of the order stepping to the plate with the tying run on third and go-ahead run at first, going to Kimbrel, the team's best reliever was absolutely the right move and should be encouraging for the remainder of the season.
"We talked about it before the game, this is nothing that – you know, we're not making it up during the game," Cora said. "We have a plan before, and today was a day we were like, you know what, he's rested enough, and we know they've been coming back against a lot of teams. We saw what they did against Cleveland. So, that was his spot. It was probably better with only a man at first and two outs, of course, but he's one of the best closers in the game, if not the best, and we gave him the ball and he did his best."
So, while the Red Sox lost the game, it seems clear that Kimbrel and the Red Sox are more than willing to use the closer when the game presents itself and not strictly a clean top of the ninth.
This is encouraging.
The Red Sox do not have a pinch-hit hit this season. They are 0-for-14.
