The Boston Red Sox tightened their grip on the American League’s first wild-card berth after taking three of four games from the New York Yankees in the Bronx, improving to 8-1 against their rivals this season and clinching the head-to-head tiebreaker. Boston opened the series Friday with a 1–0 victory as Brayan Bello limited New York to three hits over seven shutout innings. The win assured the Red Sox of the season series and nudged them ahead of the Yankees in the crowded wild-card race. The dominance continued Saturday in a 12–1 rout. Left-hander Garrett Crochet struck out 11 across seven innings, and Boston piled on seven runs in the ninth to hand New York its eighth defeat in nine meetings and its third straight loss of the weekend. New York averted a four-game sweep Sunday night, beating Boston 7–2 behind a power surge that featured two home runs apiece from Jazz Chisholm Jr.—the first of which marked the 100th of his career—and Trent Grisham. The Yankees launched four homers overall to snap their skid. The Red Sox leave Yankee Stadium at 71-60, a half-game ahead of the 70-60 Yankees for the American League’s top wild-card position. The clubs are scheduled to meet again in September as the playoff race tightens.