Heading into the bottom of the ninth inning Thursday at Fenway Park, the New York Yankees held a two-run lead over the Boston Red Sox.
It wouldn't last, as yet another implosion from the Yankees bullpen allowed the Red Sox to force extra innings. But the ninth-inning meltdown paled in comparison to what happened an inning later, when New York reliever Brooks Kriske threw four wild pitches to allow Boston to escape with a 5-4 victory and open up an eight-game lead on its rival in the American League East.
How did Yankees manager Aaron Boone react to his team's latest loss?
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"Another gut punch," Boone said, via SNY. "It certainly stings on a long night here and looking like you're gonna get out of here with the first game of this series, but we also gotta get over this, and we've got a big weekend ahead of us."
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The loss dropped New York to 50-45 on the season, good enough for third place in the division.
The Red Sox are now 8-2 against the Bronx Bombers in 2021. These rivals will continue their four-game series at Fenway Park on Friday night.