Red Sox Outlast Yankees, 6-5, in 19-Inning Marathon

In the first meeting of the year between the teams, Boston at last went ahead for good on a sacrifice fly by Mookie Betts in the top of the 19th — rounding out nearly 7 hours of total game time.

In one of the classic games of their long and illustrious rivalry, the Boston Red Sox finally outlasted the New York Yankees 6-5 in 19 innings early Saturday when the game-ending double play was turned at 2:13 a.m.

In the first meeting of the year between the teams, Boston at last went ahead for good on a sacrifice fly by Mookie Betts. Xander Bogaerts scored the decisive run after reaching on his fourth hit in extra innings.

Chase Headley and Mark Teixeira hit tying home runs for the Yankees in an early-season epic interrupted by a power outage for 16 minutes in the 12th. That's why the official time of game was 6 hours, 49 minutes — even though it took more than 7 hours to complete.

The teams get little chance to rest, too. They're back at it for the middle game of the series Saturday at 1:05 p.m.

David Ortiz hit a solo homer for Boston to break a 3-all deadlock in the 16th. But then Teixeira, batting from the right side against right-handed knuckleballer Steven Wright, led off the bottom half with a no-doubt drive to left field.

Pablo Sandoval put the Red Sox back in front with an RBI single in the 18th only to see Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran hit doubles in the bottom half to tie it again at 5.

Each club went to its final reliever in the 15th during the longest game for the Yankees by innings since a 19-inning victory over Minnesota in August 1976.

The longest game between the teams was a 20-inning win by Boston in the second game of a 1967 doubleheader.

Headley's solo shot off fill-in closer Edward Mujica came with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Neither team could break through again until Ortiz launched an 0-2 pitch from Esmil Rogers to right-center.

It was the slugger's first home run of the year and his 50th against the Yankees, including playoff games.

Didi Gregorius had a chance to win it for New York in the 16th and 18th, but grounded out with a runner at third to end both innings.

It was the longest game in the history of the new Yankee Stadium, which opened in 2009.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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