It never fails: Just when you think the 2021 Yankees are worth giving up on, they give you a result that makes you think they're gonna pull it all off.
Or, as Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) said in The Godfather Part III, "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!"
Last night, at Fenway Park, we faced the Auld Enemy again, following a big win over them the night before. And it didn't look like it would happen again. Nestor Cortes didn't pitch badly, but he didn't get out of the 5th inning, either. He allowed a home run to Kevin Plawecki in the bottom of the 3rd. In the bottom of the 5th, he put on base a runner that Michael King ended up letting score. And that 2-0 Red Sox lead looked huge, despite the close confines of the little green pinball machine in the Back Bay.
The top of the 6th was frustrating. It looked like the Yankees might break it wide open. With 1 out, Gio Urshela singled. Brett Gardner doubled, but Urshela couldn't score. Still, with Aaron Judge up next, you had to like the Yankees' chances to at least get Urshela home. No one expected it to happen on a wild pitch, but it did. And then Judge grounded out, and Anthony Rizzo popped up.
The Yankees got leadoff walks in the 7th from Giancarlo Stanton and Joey Gallo, but couldn't get them home (and activate the cliche about walks, especially the leadoff variety). It stayed 2-1 Boston.
How does the Cliche Alert go? "Walks can kill you." Tanner Houck struck out Rougned Odor and Gio Urshela to begin the 8th. Then Brett Gardner drew a walk. Then he stole 2nd. That may have unnerved Houck, as he walked Judge. No, it didn't redner Gardner's steal unnecessary: Judge might not have taken 4 balls without it. Darwinzon Hernandez was brought in to pitch, and he hit Rizzo to load the bases.
Up came Stanton. This was the at-bat we had spent 4 years waiting for: He crushed a pitch over the Draft Kings ad atop the Green Monster, 426 feet. Grand slam. 5-2 Bronx Bombers.
It took a lot of guts for Aaron Boone to put Luis Severino in this game. It also took guts for Severino to justify Boone's faith in him. He allowed a walk in the 7th, and hit a batter in the 8th, but allowed no hits, and looked terrific. Might he be the answer to the closer situation the rest of the way?
Because Aroldis Chapman still gave signs that he isn't the answer. He got Kyle Schwarber to hit a dribbler in front of the mound, which Gary Sanchez pounced on, to throw him out. But, Cliche Alert: Aroldis gotta Aroldis: He served up a home run to Bobby Dalbec, and then hit Plawecki with a pitch. Since that brought the tying run to the plate, it was almost certainly not intentional.
So Christian Vazquez was sent in to pinch-run for Plawecki, with Jose Iglesias up. But Chapman struck him out, and then got Enrique Hernandez to ground to 3rd to end it. Yankees 5, Red Sox 3.
It is still very possible that the American League Wild Card Game will be between the Yankees and the Red Sox -- and it could be at either Yankee Stadium II or at Fenway Park. These last 2 games should be a big confidence boost, in case the Sox do turn out to be the opponent, even if Fenway is the location.
The series continues tonight, as the ESPN national game. Jordan Montgomery starts against Eduardo Rodriguez. This ballpark would be a great place for the Yankees to show Montgomery some of the run support he's been missing in the 2nd half of the season.