Yankees swing big in the eighth to spoil Ranger Suárez’s strong start, win 6-1

Sunday’s matchup between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees turned on a single inning, the eighth, where the Yankees turned a close game into separation. After Ranger Suárez kept Boston’s offense afloat for most of the afternoon, Justin Slaten ran into trouble in the inning and New York pulled away for a 6-1 win at Yankee Stadium.

Suárez was in rhythm early and finished with the kind of line that usually earns run support. He struck out six and allowed one earned run over 6 1/3 innings, keeping the Red Sox in position even as Boston’s offense started slowly. Through five innings, Boston had limited baserunners, but a late rally started to form in the middle innings.

The Red Sox finally broke through against Yankees starter Cam Schlittler in the sixth. Willson Contreras hit a double that scored Ceddanne Rafaela after a throw to the plate went wide, tying the game at 1-1. The Yankees then recorded outs to keep it tight into the seventh, and Boston had chances to move ahead, but did not cash them in before the late bullpen damage began.

The seventh inning passed without a go-ahead run, and that opened the door for the Yankees in the eighth. New York sent Slaten to the mound after a brief window of leverage, and the inning quickly flipped. Cody Bellinger delivered a tying homer off Slaten, and the Yankees kept stacking base runners and advancing the ball to push the deficit deeper.

By the time Jazz Chisholm Jr. added a three-run home run, the game was effectively decided. An inning that began as a one-run swing became a five-run stretch that Boston could not respond to, with Slaten exiting after allowing multiple hits and runs. Yankees relievers then held Boston at bay the rest of the way to preserve the decisive margin.

Beyond the scoreline, the win carried standings and roster weight for New York. The Yankees improved to 38-26 and moved within percentage points of first-place Tampa Bay in the AL East, while also splitting a rain-shortened two-game series with Boston. The Yankees were missing several key regulars on the injured list, including Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Austin Wells, and still found enough production to win the late moments.