LONG TIME COMING
Yanks need 16 innings to complete comeback win over rival Red Sox
BOSTON — When it finally was over, after almost six hours of baseball, the Yankees would not run away from the magnitude of Saturday’s victory over the Red Sox.
Left for dead by Chris Sale and three outs away from a loss that would have them falling like a safe dropped from the roof of a high-rise building, the Yankees watched Matt Holliday homer off Craig Kimbrel in the ninth and tie the score.
Seven innings later, Didi Gregorius, Austin Romine and Gary Sanchez drove in runs to lift the Yankees to a 4-1 victory that took 16 frames and five hours and 50 minutes to complete and was witnessed by 36,936 at Fenway Park.
“It’s a good feeling,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said of the victory that moved the Yankees to within 3 ½ games of the AL East-leading Red Sox and evened the four-game series, 1-1, ahead of Sunday’s doubleheader that will be played with two taxed bullpens.
Tyler Clippard, one of seven Yankees relievers, understands it is the middle of July and not late September, but he knew a loss would have been the Yankees’ 20th in 27 games and dropped the Yankees 5 ½ lengths back of the Red Sox.
“That’s a big win for the team in all aspects,” said Clippard, who followed Luis Severino to start the eighth after Severino allowed one run and four hits in seven frames and went head to head with Sale, the best pitcher in the American League. “That’s a big win for us. We needed it.”
Holliday, who was involved in a baserunning play that resulted in Red Sox manager John Farrell filing a protest because interference wasn’t called in the 11th, had been 0-for-7 in two games back from the DL when he smoked a 1-1 pitch from Kimbrel over the seats atop the Green Monster.
“It’s one of the reasons you play the game,’’ Holliday said of the second homer and fifth the Red Sox closer has given up this year.
Holliday’s 16th homer tied the score, 1-1, and each team squandered chances to win the game before the 16th. The Red Sox got the first two batters on in the 10th and didn’t score. The Yankees did the same in the 14 and watched Didi Gregorius and Austin Romine line out and Ronald Torreyes whiff.
Working against right-hander Doug Fister in the 16th, Jacoby Ellsbury’s opposite-field double to left opened the inning. Chase Headley’s single to center put runners at the corner for Gregorius, who didn’t start against Sale. His single to center scored Ellsbury. Romine’s single to right-center plated Headley, and Sanchez’s sacrifice fly scored Gregorius for a 4-1 lead.
Ben Heller, who entered the game in the 15th, retired the Red Sox in order in the 16th to get the victory.
Forgotten as the game dragged on was that Severino was just as good as Sale, the only difference being the run he gave up in the third, when he walked Mookie Betts and Dustin Pedroia to open the inning. Severino did well to limit the Red Sox to a run on Mitch Moreland’s sacrifice fly.
“It was a tough game. Chris Sale was nasty,” said Severino, who gave up a run and four hits in seven innings. “I knew it would be a good game.”
How big of a toll the win extracted could be immediately known since playing 16 innings, using seven of eight relievers and every position player in front of a twin-bill is taxing. In fact had the game gone past the 16th, CC Sabathia, who walked to the bullpen before the home 16th, was the next arm Joe Girardi was going to use. Fortunately, for the Yankees Sabathia, who now will start Game 1 on Sunday, wasn’t needed.