Yankee News

NEW YORK -- Curtis Granderson's first instinct was to break in from his shallow post in center field, believing that Pedro Ciriaco's drive had little power behind it. 

As Granderson twisted and turned to retreat, he quickly realized he was in trouble. 

Granderson landed in a heap on the wet outfield grass as Ciriaco's ninth-inning ball found safe haven for a go-ahead triple, counting for the decisive blow as the Yankees were dealt a heartbreaking 8-6 defeat by the Red Sox on Saturday at Yankee Stadium. 

"You're going to make some mistakes out there," Granderson said. "That was one I didn't get the best read on. The great thing about this game is you get the opportunity to go back out there tomorrow."

Granderson's misplay came with one out and a runner on first, as Ciriaco knocked in Jacoby Ellsbury while facing losing pitcher Rafael Soriano. Dustin Pedroia added a sacrifice fly as insurance for Alfredo Aceves, who recorded the last three outs for his 22nd save.

 "It just shows that's part of the game," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "Sometimes players are going to have the wrong reads on balls. It's going to happen over the course of the season, and it won't be the last one, I'm sure. It's unfortunate that it happened at that time."

The crushing emotional swing came after Mark Teixeira had tied the game an inning earlier with a long two-run homer off Vicente Padilla, dropping his bat and trotting to admire the blast -- atypical behavior for Teixeira and just the latest chapter in the tense history between the former teammates.

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