There are bad losses, heart-breaking losses and losses that freeze bone marrow.
It remains to be known if the Yankees can rebound from the most devastating defeat of the season Thursday night, when a six-run seventh inning that erased a five-run deficit wasn’t enough to avoid inhaling a 9-8 loss in 10 innings to the Red Sox due to a bevy of reasons.
Start with Preston Claiborne’s ineffective relief stint after Ivan Nova’s subpar start.
Move to catcher Austin Romine’s low throw to second in the ninth that set up the tying run. How about Alfonso Soriano getting caught trying to steal third by Boston pitcher Craig Breslow in the ninth?
While it included a broken-bat single and was fueled by Romine’s bad throw, Mariano Rivera flushed his six save in 47 chances. Finally, Joba Chamberlain, who was pitching because Shawn Kelley has a sore triceps, gave up the game-winning hit.
“It’s a tough loss, no doubt about it,’’ manager Joe Girardi said. “But you can’t feel sorry for yourself.’’
The Yankees, who have 22 games remaining, caught a break because the Rays lost 6-2 to the Angels Thursday night. The Bombers remain just 2¹/₂ games behind Tampa Bay in the battle for the final wild-card spot.
The Red Sox, who lead the third-place Yankees by nine games in the AL East, have won nine of 11 and, at 85-57, have the best record in the league.
Six runs in the seventh eliminated a 7-2 deficit, and the rally was highlighted by Lyle Overbay’s two-run, two-out single that put the Yankees ahead, 8-7.
David Robertson worked a perfect eighth and Rivera retired the first two batters in the ninth before Mike Napoli’s broken-bat single to right gave the Red Sox a chance.
Pinch-runner Quintin Berry was safe at second when Romine’s throw glanced off Derek Jeter’s glove and trickled far enough into the outfield to let Berry get to third. He then scored on Stephen Drew’s single to right.
With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Soriano drew a walk and made it to second when first baseman Daniel Nava couldn’t handle Breslow’s pickoff throw.
Believing they wouldn’t try to pick him off twice, Soriano broke for third with Curtis Granderson at the plate and was caught in a rundown for the second out.
“You can’t get thrown out,’’ Girardi said of Soriano’s mistake.
Girardi turned to the struggling Chamberlain with the scored tied in the 10th.
Jacoby Ellsbury singled with one out and swiped second. At 2-2, Chamberlain and the Yankees’ dugout believed Shane Victorino had taken his swing far enough around for a third strike. Plate umpire Rob Drake asked first base ump Joe West for help, and West ruled Victorino didn’t swing.
Victorino laced the next pitch to right and scored Ellsbury.
“If I see the barrel of the bat at me, I kind of have a good idea,’’ Chamberlain said of the costly call.
Chamberlain was replaced by Boone Logan and then promptly ejected by West.
Nova was bad, Claiborne terrible.
Pitch count hell forced Nova to exit far too early and Claiborne, who followed, let the Yankees fall behind, 6-2, after five innings.
Nova, the AL pitcher of the month for August, left after four innings (his shortest stint of the year), in which he allowed three runs, five hits and threw 96 pitches.
Summoned to begin the fifth, Claiborne didn’t retire any of the five batters he faced and started the inning by giving up a homer to Victorino.