Marly RiveraESPN Writer
BOSTON — The New York Yankees left Fenway Park atop the American League wild-card standings after a three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox but suffered injuries in the outfield in the process.
In a stunning eighth inning Sunday night, during which the Yankees scored four runs to cap an eventful 6-3 comeback win, All-Star outfielder Aaron Judge dislocated a finger and Gold Glover Joey Gallo was hit by a pitch.
Judge dislocated his left pinkie while sliding headfirst into second base after delivering a crushing two-run double against reliever Adam Ottavino, which was followed by yet another Giancarlo Stanton blast to cap a four-run eighth inning for the Yankees’ 42nd comeback win of the season.
In addressing the injury after the game, Judge, who popped his finger back in place after seeing it displaced from the joint, was confident that it would not be a significant issue and said it was something he previously experienced while playing basketball.
“Just going for two there, trying to get into one position for Big G behind me and the biggest mistake was not going feet-first. I’m kicking myself with that,” Judge said. “Popped up, really didn’t feel much, and then when I went to kind of check my batting gloves [and] I saw it was kind of out of place. Tried popping it back in, it kind of got stuck again, so just needed some help. Not too concerned with it. I really don’t know what’s going on, but I don’t really need it to hit so we’re going to be in good shape.”
He added: “I didn’t even really know what happened until I looked down there and saw that the finger really wasn’t moving or it wasn’t pointed the right way, so adrenaline was flowing.”
Judge’s double nearly did not happen because Ottavino had several opportunities to get him out, first on a controversial call of a dropped foul tip, where catcher Christian Vazquez lost the ball in the transfer, and another time in a foul popup to first base. That fateful eighth inning followed a bottom of the seventh in which the Red Sox, with the Yankees leading 2-1, took a 3-2 lead on a wild pitch and two dropped popups, one by Gallo and the other by third baseman DJ LeMahieu.
“Ottavino is one of the best relievers in the game; he’s really tough on righties. I thought I was going to be done on the first foul ball that dropped in foul territory and then the one I foul tipped and it drops behind the plate,” Judge said. “I felt like a cat. I felt like I had nine lives up there. But then I was able to get another pitch over the middle and just pick up my teammates out there.”
Judge was at second base when Stanton hit his third home run of the series. During the three-game sweep, Stanton went 7-for-12 with a double, three homers and 10 RBIs. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Stanton became only the second player in Yankees history to record 10 RBIs in a three-game series against the Red Sox, joining Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle, who did it at Yankee Stadium in 1954.
“Being on second base for another Giancarlo Stanton homer, that was pretty impressive. He did it back-to-back nights in big spots in a big series,” Judge added. “That’s what he does; that’s the type of player he is. He comes up in big moments for us and just continues to deliver, deliver, deliver.”
After Stanton’s homer, Gallo was hit on the shin by a 95 mph Ottavino fastball and had to be evaluated by the Yankees training staff. Gallo did not address reporters after the game.
“He got smoked pretty good on the shin. I think he was able to walk it off pretty well,” said manager Aaron Boone. “We’ll see. We’ll see how he is overnight.”
A team source told ESPN that Gallo “will be fine.”
The Yankees’ win, which completed their first sweep of the Red Sox in a series of at least three games at Fenway Park since 2015, gave New York sole possession of the first AL wild-card spot. The Yankees now travel to Toronto to play the Blue Jays in a three-game series before returning to the Bronx to face the 2021 AL East champion Tampa Bay Rays to close out the regular season.
