The New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 16-1 on Sunday to earn a pivotal head-to-head tiebreaker.
The Yankees claimed the season series 7-6 and moved four games up on the Red Sox for the AL's second wild-card spot after taking three of four contests in the Bronx during the weekend series.
New York scored five runs in the fifth inning following a controversial call.
Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela appeared to make a great diving catch on a fly ball by Jazz Chisholm Jr. before throwing to first base to complete a double play. However, Chisholm was awarded a single after the play was ruled a no-catch on the field and later upheld by replay review.
Replay review upheld the call that Ceddanne Rafaela dropped this ball. Both runners on base would score two batters later pic.twitter.com/VZBR0n4ycf
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 30, 2026
"I know when a ball drops and a ball doesn't drop," Rafaela said postgame, according to NESN. "I know I made the catch."
He added, "I was really mad in the moment. Really wanted to help my pitcher there, and I feel that changed the whole game right there."
Two batters later, Paul Goldschmidt singled to drive in the first two runs of the game. Heliot Ramos then broke the game open with a three-run homer for his first long ball with the Yankees.
Heliot Ramos' first home run as a member of the @Yankees comes in a HUGE spot 😤 pic.twitter.com/oVpZDsjkql
— MLB (@MLB) August 30, 2026
Austin Wells also homered twice during a nine-run explosion in the eighth.
