Red Sox catcher Adley Rutschman tags out Yankees' Amed Rosario at the plate during the first game of Saturday's day-night doubleheader in the Bronx. (AP photo)

NEW YORK (AP) — NEW YORK (AP) — Ben Rice had a two-run single in New York’s five-run eighth inning and finished with three RBIs as the Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 9-2 Saturday in the nightcap and earned a doubleheader split.

The Yankees pulled rookie shortstop George Lombard Jr. after the third inning with right knee discomfort. The 21-year-old tweaked his knee on a check swing in the second inning and took another at-bat before exiting.

Ceddanne Rafaela hit an RBI single in a four-run ninth as Boston beat New York 6-0 in the opener.

The Yankees evened the season series at six games apiece and moved three games ahead of the Red Sox for the AL’s top wild-card spot.

After Brent Headrick stranded Willson Contreras at third following the Boston first baseman’s triple, the Yankees had seven hits in the eighth and opened a 9-2 lead.

Rice hit a tying single in New York’s three-run third off Brayan Bello (5-7) and capped the big inning with a two-run single for New York’s 13th hit

Amed Rosario had an RBI single and Austin Wells added a two-run single as the Yankees scored nine runs for the fifth time since the All-Star break

Luis García had three hits and added a bases-loaded groundout to give the Yankees the lead. Jazz Chisholm and rookie Spencer Jones added sacrifice flies as New York scored at least seven runs for the fourth time in its last seven games.

Coming off a second injured list stint due to a bone bruise in his left elbow, Max Fried allowed one run and three hits in 3 2/3 innings. The left-hander struck out four and walked one while throwing 63 pitches in his first start since Aug. 13.

Paul Blackburn stranded two in the sixth and Brent Headrick stranded Contreras at third in the eighth.

Nick Sogard homered for the Red Sox. After opener Alec Gamboa threw 18 pitches to five hitters, Bello permitted four runs and five hits in 4 1/3 innings.

DAY GAME

In the day game, Rafaela recovered from misjudging a fly ball to center field in the fourth inning to get a runner at the plate a day after making two outs on the bases, and he hit an RBI single in a four-run ninth.

Rookie Jake Bennett (9-6) stymied the Yankees again, allowing three hits in six innings. Bennett struck out seven, walked none and has permitted one run and six hits in 12 1/3 innings in two career starts against New York.

Wilyer Abreu homered off Carlos Rodón (4-3) in the first and the Red Sox moved back to within two games of the Yankees for the AL’s top wild-card and home field advantage in the postseason.

Adley Rutschman had his first three-hit game with the Red Sox and scored on a passed ball by Ali Sanchez when Rodón was slow to cover the plate in the fifth. Andruw Monasterio padded the lead with a two-run single in the ninth and scored on Nick Sogard’s RBI double.

After Amed Rosario reached on a throwing error by third baseman Caleb Durbin in the fourth and advanced on a passed ball by Rutschman, Heliot Ramos lifted a fly ball to center.

Rafaela ran back and got turned around at the edge of the warning track but recovered to retrieve the ball in front of the fence and made a strong throw to Sogard at second. Rosario initially had to hold near second to see if the ball was caught and had just rounded third when Sogard got the ball and the strong throw easily allowed Rutschman to complete the tag.

Rafaela’s recovery occurred after he was doubled off first base in the fifth inning and thrown out by Bellinger’s 99.7 mph throw from left field in the seventh of Friday’s 1-0 loss.

In his third start since returning from left elbow inflammation, Rodón allowed two runs and three hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Up next

Boston LHP Ranger Suarez (5-3, 3.35 ERA) opposes New York RHP Will Warren (8-6, 4.39) in the finale of the four-game series on Sunday.