YANK GAME DAY

With the sold-out crowd of 47,088 screaming "Let's go Yankees!" and the Bombers trailing by one run, Brett Gardner socked a Craig Kimbrel 97-mph fastball into center field, a two-run triple that pushed the Yankees ahead of Boston by a run. Aaron Judge then blasted his ninth home run of the season, a two-run shot, leading to bedlam in the Bronx before Yankee closer Aroldis Chapman finished off Boston in the wild 9-6 win Wednesday night.

It was the Yankees' eighth straight victory — the longest such active streak in the majors — and it gave the Yankees sole possession of first place in the American League East. They were seven and a half games behind Boston April 20.

“They expect to be really good. They expect to be a great team,” Yankee manager Aaron Boone said of his club.

Before the game, Boone said he would keep Gardner in the leadoff spot even though Gardner was batting .198 entering the game. Gardner went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a triple, two RBI and three runs scored.

A night after he slugged two home runs, Giancarlo Stanton continued his hot hitting, roping a two-run double to right off Boston starter Rick Porcello in the bottom of the third. Judge whacked an RBI single in the first inning, and also flashed the leather in the fifth, making a diving, backhanded catch of a J.D. Martinez sinking line drive.

Mitch Moreland clocked a 2-0 sinking fastball off Yankee starter Masahiro Tanaka into the Yankee bullpen in right-center for a two-run homer in the second inning. Andrew Benintendi also blasted a solo shot off Tanaka in the fifth. Hanley Ramirez hit his fourth homer off reliever Chad Green.

Gardner doubled on the third pitch of the game and scored the team's first run on Judge's RBI single to center, sliding headfirst across home ahead of the relay throw.