NEW YORK _ CC Sabathia came out roaring, shouting in the direction of the Red Sox dugout.
The veteran lefty had just registered two strikeouts to end the first inning, stranding the bases loaded and showing there was life in the Yankees after a demoralizing three-game sweep by Cleveland.
And just maybe, there was a reason to believe in that fast-fading chance at an AL East title.
Gary Sanchez and Greg Bird each belted home runs on Thursday night, boosting Sabathia's six gutty innings and sending the Yankees toward a 6-2 victory before 43,309 fans.
Boston's lead is still 4{ games over the second-place Yanks (71-62), who out-hit the Red Sox (76-58) by a 14-4 count in taking the first of a four-game set.
Continuing a trend of rescuing his mates after a defeat, Sabathia (11-5) gave up one run _ due to a successful Red Sox replay challenge _ and allowed the Yanks time to find a winning route against lefty Eduardo Rodriguez (4-5).
After Aaron Hicks (2 for 4) lined into a double play started by Rodriguez, the slugging Sanchez drove a game-tying, solo homer to right.
Sanchez ended August with 12 homers on the month. And it was his first since Aug. 24, at Detroit, a game that descended into a three-round brawl after Sanchez was hit by a Michael Fulmer fastball following his fourth homer in three games at Comerica Park.
On Friday, Sanchez is expected to hear his appeal of a four-game suspension for throwing punches at Miguel Cabrera, already on the ground during the first phase of a fight-filled game that featured eight ejections.
And if it's immediately reduced to three games, Sanchez wouldn't be eligible to play until Monday's series opener at Baltimore.
Winners of seven straight games entering Thursday, the Orioles were among a wave of clubs threatening the Yanks' once-comfortable AL wild-card lead.
"The most important thing is to worry about your own team and not what other teams are doing," said Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who learned before Thursday's game that the charging Angels had just added Justin Upton via trade from Detroit.
Sabathia is now 8-0 with a 1.44 ERA in 10 starts this year following a Yankees loss. He gave up four hits and five walks, and four of his six strikeouts came in the first two innings.
After David Robertson delivered two scoreless innings, an ineffective Dellin Betances _ who hadn't pitched since Saturday _ loaded the bases on a walk and two hit batsman to open the ninth. He walked in a run before getting the last two outs, inducing a fly out of pinch-hitter Mitch Moreland _ batting as the tying run _ to end it.
Three straight one-out singles by Brett Gardner, Hicks and Sanchez gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead in the fifth, with an assist from ex-Yankee Eduardo Nunez.
