Hanley Ramirez Hits Walk-off Homer As Red Sox Top Yankees 7-5

Hanley Ramirez created a wild walk-off finish for the Boston Red Sox Thursday night with a giant three-run homer off closer Dellin Betances to end a mind-blowing 7-5 victory over the New York Yankees at Fenway Park.

Hanley Ramirez Hits Walk-off Homer As Red Sox Top Yankees 7-5

Ramirez’s second career game-winning home run, set up by David Ortiz and Mookie Betts, came with two outs and finished a five-run bottom of the ninth. The first baseman’s homer, projected at 426 feet by Statcast™, was the longest that Betances has allowed this season. The blast had an exit velocity of 107 mph and was hit at a launch angle of 28 degrees. It came on a 99.3-mph pitch; only five homers in the Majors this year have been hit on faster throws.

“I was trying to go to the moon,” said Ramirez after getting doused by his teammates. “That’s why I was sitting on a fastball the whole time. Just stay back and let it rip.”

New York was in control for the majority of the game, but the longtime rivalry ended in a classic way, with several thrilling plays in the late innings.

The Red Sox trailed 5-1 before Ortiz smacked a solo homer to center-field in the eighth for his 537th career homer, thus jumping past Mickey Mantle and into sole possession of 17th place on the all-time list.

A few minutes after the incredible finish, Betts called it his best baseball moment.

“Some other guys have gotten into the playoffs and won World Series; for me, that’s at the top of the list,” said Betts, who ripped an RBI single to make it a one-run game just before Ramirez stepped up.

The come-from-behind win gave Boston a two-game lead in the American League East over the Orioles, who fell to the Rays in Baltimore on Thursday. The fourth-place Yankees, meanwhile, dropped to five games back in the division and three games behind the Blue Jays, who hold the second AL Wild Card spot and beat the Angels on Thursday.

Masahiro Tanaka shut down the Sox for seven innings, holding them to just one run and four hits, and the Yankees raced to a 5-1 lead while chasing Eduardo Rodriguez out of the game after 21⁄3 innings.

To rally in the ninth, Boston needed to do it against Betances, a threat on the mound who had pitched the previous two games.

Ortiz was asked if it felt like the 2004 ALCS again.

“You know, our games with the Yankees are unbelievable games,” he said. “Coming from behind against a guy like Betances is huge. Betances is super nasty. He has some of the best stuff in the game. It’s big. It’s really big.”

Betts was nervous when he went to bat after Ortiz singled, but he remembered a lesson.

“I’ve kind of learned breathing to calm myself down,” Betts said. “That’s the only way you can come through in those situations. When you get too hyped, you start doing things you don’t normally say or do.”

Ramirez, a 12-year veteran who has never played in a World Series but hasn’t stopped talking about winning one since Dustin Pedroia began mocking him in spring training, said he was just looking for a fastball from Betances. The Yankees right-hander, meanwhile, was supremely annoyed.

“It’s frustrating,” Betances said. “This one, definitely, we had that game. You don’t want to do that this late. Obviously, we’re trying to win games; when that happens, you’re not helping in any case. It’s definitely frustrating. I just have to go out there and be better the next time out.”

Starlin Castro led the charge for the visitors with a four-hit, two-RBI night. Veteran Billy Butler had a nice debut for New York with a sacrifice fly and an RBI single.

“This one hurts; we’ve got to bounce back,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “We were in a pretty good position going into the ninth inning and weren’t able to close the deal.”

The two teams will face off again on Friday night for the second game of their four-game weekend series. Yankees (77-69, 4th in AL East) right-hander Luis Cessa (4-1, 4.34 ERA) will make his sixth Major League start, while righty Clay Buchholz will take the mound for the Red Sox (82-64, 1st in AL East).

BOSTON, MA – SEPTEMBER 15: Hanley Ramirez #13 of the Boston Red Sox hits the game winning three run homer against the New York Yankees during the ninth inning at Fenway Park on September 15, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Red Sox defeat the Yankees 7-5. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)