Games like this move September tiebreakers more than they move headlines — Boston and New York are close enough in the loss column that every one-run result carries weight down the stretch. There was a personal subplot running through it too: Schlittler is a Walpole, Massachusetts native who grew up rooting for the team he just beat, and Red Sox fans online have made a habit of reminding him about it. Friday had juice regardless of the line.
The only run of the night landed in the third inning and held up the rest of the way, even with a Yankees error in the mix that gave Boston a bit of extra room to work with. Schlittler mixed his stuff well enough to keep the Red Sox lineup off balance from start to finish, while Sandoval matched him for stretches before the one frame that decided it.
Neither offense did much with what it had — Boston's 5 hits never turned into a crooked number, and New York needed just the one. It was the type of low-event, low-scoring night that makes a pitching staff's health, not its lineup, the story.
New York banked the win and the head-to-head edge in a rivalry that's tighter on the scoreboard than the standings suggest. Boston will need more than 5 scattered singles the next time these two get on a mound together.