The New York Yankees suffered a narrow 4-3 defeat to the Boston Red Sox on Saturday, marked by critical mistakes including one involving Anthony Volpe. Early in the game, an error during the first inning allowed the Red Sox to take the lead. Volpe fielded Carlos Narváez’s ground ball and made an off-balance throw that Paul Goldschmidt failed to handle cleanly at first base, leading to an unearned run scored by Rob Refsnyder.
Although the error was officially charged to Volpe, Goldschmidt accepted responsibility for the mishandled play. He admitted that his attempt to compensate by stepping off the base and knocking the ball down fell short, allowing the run to score and putting his team at a disadvantage from the start.
“I mean, for me, that was my fault. I tried to come off the bag and knock it down,” Goldschmidt said.
“I knew what was happening — he was trying to make a great play — and I just didn’t get far enough off the bag and kind of got caught. I was trying to knock it down, just didn’t do a good enough job.
“So I feel like that one was on me. He should have the freedom to throw that ball across the diamond like he did. Like I said, I came off the bag, I tried to get over there and knock it down, and just didn’t do a good enough job of getting all the way there and blocking it. That was my intention — I just didn’t do a good enough job of that.”
Another Misstep by Jasson Dominguez Adds to Yankees’ Struggles
Later in the game, the Yankees faced another costly blunder, this time involving Jasson Dominguez. During the seventh inning with Boston leading 4-2, Dominguez was caught off second base on a strikeout by Trent Grisham. The miscue allowed the Red Sox to benefit from an additional base runner and further complicated New York’s comeback efforts.
Dominguez admitted he mistakenly thought the batter had already struck out, leading to his lapse in positioning. His candid admission reflected the frustration weighing on the team as they sought to maintain competitiveness in the tightly contested AL East division race.
“For some reason, I thought he had two strikes,” Domínguez said. “I have nothing to say; no excuses. I made a mistake.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone acknowledged Dominguez’s remorse and expressed confidence that the error would be a learning moment for his young teammate.
“It’s probably something that won’t ever happen to him again.” — Aaron Boone, Yankees manager
Impact of Mistakes on Yankees’ Division Hopes
These two pivotal mistakes contributed to a tough defeat for the Yankees, who now hold a 5-5 record over their last ten games. The loss marked their second consecutive setback against the Red Sox, intensifying pressure as the Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays close in within 4.5 games in the AL East standings. With the division race tightening, every error becomes more costly, and the Yankees must tighten their defense and execution in upcoming games to maintain their edge.