Curtis Granderson’s grand slam to cap the Yankees’ win on Friday seemed like it could be a knockout blow to the Red Sox. Instead, Boston responded with two dramatic, extra-inning wins that they’re hoping finally turns their season around.
“Those were a couple of gut-check wins,” Will Middlebrooks said after his 10th-inning single sparked a 3-2 win over the Yankees last night in The Bronx.
Before Middlebrooks’ hit, the third baseman was hit by a David Robertson pitch, but home-plate umpire Brian O’Nora said he heard it hit off his bat, according to Boston manager Bobby Valentine.
That explanation led Valentine to get ejected for the third time this season- and much maligned starter Josh Beckett was tossed for arguing the call from the dugout, as well.
“We’re in it together,” Valentine said after the victory. “He wanted this win as badly I did. He shows that a lot. I guess since it was national TV, it was even better.”
With a day left before tomorrow’s non-waiver trade deadline, Valentine vowed that the team was “in it to win it” and wasn’t prepared to surrender its playoff aspirations.
“I don’t think ownership and the front office are thinking anything other than ‘We’ve got a shot,’ ” Valentine said before the game.
And that message was repeated by his players after the Red Sox blew a 2-0 lead in last night’s game before Yankee-killer Pedro Ciriaco delivered a bloop RBI-single to right to score Jarrod Saltalamacchia and give them the lead.
“We’ll take bloops,” Valentine said. “We need them.”
At 51-51, they’ll need more than that to become serious contenders, which is why Adrian Gonzalez believes the postseason has already started in New England.
“Absolutely,” said the first baseman, whose team starts a series against the Tigers at Fenway Park tonight. “We’ve put ourselves in a position where that’s basically what we’ve got. We have to win every game possible.”
The last two nights couldn’t have gone much better, leaving them four games behind the Blue Jays for the second wild card.
“They couldn’t have come at better time or against a better team,” said Dustin Pedroia, adding of the potential carryover: “I hope it’s huge.”
If they do go on a run, they may point to the last two nights in The Bronx.
“These were a couple of gut-check games for us,” Middlebrooks said.
dan.martin@nypost.com