BOSTON — Considering they flushed a late three-run lead the night before and were staring at Chris Sale on the Fenway Park mound Saturday evening, it wasn’t a stretch to label this Yankees-Red Sox game the most important of the season for the visitors.
They trailed the AL East-leading Red Sox by five lengths and a loss would have dropped them a season-high six back and dressed like a wild-card team rather than division contender. And earlier in the day, manager Joe Girardi stripped the struggling Aroldis Chapman of his closer’s duties.
Against that backdrop, CC Sabathia, Tyler Austin and Todd Frazier didn’t let the deficit grow to a half-dozen with a 4-3 victory witnessed by 37,274 and pulled the Yankees to within four lengths of first place.