Red Sox Notes: Alex Cora Left With ‘Chills’ After Epic Win Over Yankees

BOSTON — The Red Sox knew they’d be hosting the Yankees for their most critical three-game series yet, especially with the team fresh off an uncharacteristic 1-5 road trip coming out of the All-Star break.

However, what came of Boston’s series opener against New York brought back feelings that manager Alex Cora couldn’t compare to anything else the Red Sox had experienced this season. Obviously, both clubs respectively understood the stakes for this weekend with the series pivotal from the start. And Cora felt that in the atmosphere, even before both teams took the field for first pitch.

“There was a lot of people early here,” Cora said after Boston’s 9-7 win over New York on Friday night. “We know where we’re at in the standings. I know where they’re at. Every game matters now. The back and forth was great, even though we didn’t pitch; we need to be better there. The boys made good stops, Ceddanne (Rafaela) put a good swing there (in the eighth inning) to put us in a good spot and it took everybody.”

When it came to getting down to business, the Red Sox showed up to play. Boston uplifted its crowd after the Yankees rallied to score four runs in the seventh inning to take a 7-4 lead, highlighted by a mammoth 470-foot three-run home run to deep centerfield off the bat of Aaron Judge. That swing alone sent New York fans in attendance into a frenzy and silenced Boston’s home crowd. But the Yankees failed to maintain their momentum, and the Red Sox seized their momentum to flip the script.

Masataka Yoshida plated the much-needed go-ahead two runs with a single to finish off a three-run come-from-behind rally in the eighth inning. Boston’s timely tenacity was reminiscent of a postseason performance, which the Fenway Park faithful and Cora both appreciated in the end.

“It was loud. It was fun. Their fans were here, our fans too,” Cora said. “… It felt like the back and forth in the last three innings is what it used to be here. That’s the way it should be. That’s the reason we’re here. That’s one of the reasons we decided to stay here because we love this. Sometimes I get chills just looking around. There’s a difference between what’s going on here right now compared to early in the season. Early in the season, with all due respect, felt like a museum; the Fenway experience. But now, (the fans) are into it, they like the team and they understand what we’re trying to accomplish.”

Here are more notes from Friday night’s Red Sox-Yankees game:

— Rafaela’s two-run blast in the seventh inning marked the fifth recorded against the Yankees in the 23-year-old’s big league career. Boston’s rookie is now hitting .320 with a .839 OPS in the last 40 games played.

“As a baseball player, isn’t that the games you want to play in?” Rafaela said. “It’s awesome to be here. … We know what we can do. This game is us right here. We don’t put our heads down, we fight to the end. This is what we can do.”

— Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen reached 440 career saves after putting the Yankees away in the ninth, tying ex-Boston closer Craig Kimbrel for the fourth-most all-time in MLB history. Jansen’s 20th save of 2024 puts the 36-year-old 48 saves behind Lee Smith for the third-place slot on the leaderboard.

“It’s great. Boston fans are great,” Jansen said after returning from a brief four-day break. “I’ve been saying this since the whole time I’m here. Enjoying the city, enjoying playing at Fenway and the fans have been great. It definitely helped me a lot because I felt a little bit rusty coming in, but when the situation popped in the eighth and we came from behind, it just lifts you up.”

— Defeating the Yankees marked the sixth time in the last 18 games in which the Red Sox walked away victorious after trailing an opponent following the seventh inning.

“Regardless of the score, we’re gonna play a certain way and sometimes it looks tough, and we understand it’s gonna be an uphill battle,” Cora said. “But tonight, I was right next to (Jason Varitek) and it felt like we were down by seven (runs). … Our guys kept battling.”

— Boston is 13-5 in its last 18 matchups against New York, dating back to June 11, 2023.

— The Red Sox and Yankees will continue their series on Saturday night, and that game will be aired on FOX Sports. First pitch from Fenway Park is set for 7:15 p.m. ET. Boston won’t return to the NESN airwaves until Monday night when the team hosts the Seattle Mariners to begin a three-game set at home.