Yankees beat Red Sox, will host Wild Card game | Rapid reaction

The Yankees homered four times in a 11-6 victory over the Red Sox at Fenway Park on Friday, securing home-field advantage for the American League Wild Card game.

BOSTON — The Yankees are going home.

With Friday’s 11-6 win over the Red Sox, the Yankees simultaneously clinched home-field advantage American League Wild Card Game with the A’s and turned their last two games of the season at Fenway Park into little more than tuneups. 

Going into the night, manager Aaron Boone’s team needed at least one more win or one more Oakland loss to ensure Yankee Stadium would host the win-or-go-home game Wednesday.

Otherwise they faced the unappetizing possibility of a West Coast trip for the crucial contest.

The Yankees took care of it themselves, socking the American League East champs, whom they hope to face in the AL Division Series that starts Friday at Fenway.

What it means

The Yankees can spend Saturday and Sunday at Fenway Park getting at-bats for their regulars so they’re less rusty come Wednesday.

They can also rest their bullpen, which they’ll surely hit hard in the Wild Card, and officially set the starter for the elimination game. The Yankees had been talking of a choice between Happ and Masahiro Tanaka.

When Aaron Judge homered to left-center field to to start the eighth, it gave the Yankees’ their fourth blast of the game and No. 264 on the season, tying the single-campaign mark the Mariners set in 1997. It was Judge’s first home run since July 21. He spent much of the time between on the disabled list rehabbing a right wrist fracture.

Close for a second

The Red Sox climbed back into it in the sixth inning with Steve Pearce’s bullet grand slam to left field off J.A. Happ, who had been cruising before the inning.

Pearce’s blast turned an 8-zip Yankees lead into just four runs, and it came on the at-bat’s first pitch. It was Pearce’s sixth homer in 32 career at-bats vs. Happ, and it was his fifth blast of the season against the Yankees.

Happ got into the mess thanks to a single to Mookie Betts and center fielder Aaron Hicks misplaying Andrew Benintendi’s double over his head and letting it roll to the center field wall. A Xandger Bogaerts four-pitch walk loaded the bags.

But fan favorite Luke Voit kept Boston at bay, solo homering to right-center field in the seventh to extend the Yankees’ lead to 9-4. It was Voit’s 13th home run since the Yankees acquired him at the trade deadline from the Cardinals.

Happ may have been auditioning for the Wild Card job, though it’s too early to say if it’s his. Happ went six innings and didn’t give up a run outside the Pearce grand slam.

He’s the only Yankees pitcher scheduled to start the WC on regular rest but Luis Severino and Masahiro Tanaka each still may be options.

Bombs away

Hicks crushed a three-run shot in the Yankees’ six-run fourth inning. It was his 27th on the season. Gary Sanchez helped get them going, his solo homer coming in the third, his 18th blast of the year.

The Yankees are now one home run shy of the team record of 264 blast in a season the Mariners set in 1997.

The Yankees tallied seven straight baserunners in the fourth, eventually chasing reliever William Cuevas, who got just one out and gave up all the runs on six hits and a walk.

One highlight was Gleyber Torres’ two-run double off the Green Monster. It scored Miguel Andujar and then Sanchez, who didn’t slide and looked as if he might actually missed the plate. The Red Sox challenged the safe call but it was upheld.

You should know

Every Yankees starter had a hit. Hicks and Stanton had multiple hits.

Didi Gregorius returned. He’d missed the previous five games, nursing torn cartilage in his right wrist. He started at shortstop and hit sixth.

Zach Britton loaded the bases in the ninth. After pitching coach Larry Rothschild came out for a chat, he walked Bogaerts in a 3-1 count to bring in a run. Steve Pearce grounded out to end the threat and the game.

Next

Yankees righty Lance Lynn (9-10, 4.80 ERA) vs. Red Sox righty Nathan Eovaldi (6-7, 3.88 ERA) at 1:05 p.m. Saturday at Fenway Park.

Brendan Kuty may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.