Thursday 14 May 2015 11:18, UK
Jarrod Saltalamacchia's go-ahead grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning lifted the American League East-leading Boston Red Sox to an 8-4 victory over the New York Yankees at Fenway Park on Friday night.
Robinson Cano went four for four with three doubles and two RBI for the Yankees, tying the game with a two-run double earlier in the seventh frame before the Red Sox loaded the bases and Saltalamacchia - who also doubled and scored twice - provided the game-defining moment to lower Boston's magic number to seven.
Baltimore snapped a three-game skid by rallying from 3-0 down to topple the Blue Jays 5-3 in Toronto, Chris Davis' go-ahead shot in the eighth inning - his 50th home run - keeping the Orioles in the hunt for the AL's second wild-card spot.
Detroit remained six games clear of second-placed Cleveland in the AL Central courtesy of a 6-3 success against the Kansas City Royals, Prince Fielder connecting and driving in three runs for the Tigers. The Indians were 3-1 winners against the Chicago White Sox.
In other AL action on Friday, Chris Archer pitched six shutout innings for Tampa Bay as the Rays tightened their stranglehold on the second AL wild-card berth with a 3-0 win against the Minnesota Twins.
Oakland Athletics stretched their advantage atop the AL West to 4.5 games after withstanding a six-run eighth inning to sink the Texas Rangers 9-8 and the Houston Astros overcame the Los Angeles Angels 9-7.
The St Louis Cardinals earned sole possession of first place in the National League Central by squeezing past the Seattle Mariners 2-1 in interleague play, Pete Kozma scoring on a passed ball in the 10th inning.
The victory secured a one-game lead atop the division for the Cards as the second-placed Pittsburgh Pirates' four-game winning streak came to an end with a 5-4 loss against the Chicago Cubs, Anthony Rizzo's tie-breaking two-run shot in the seventh inning proving decisive at PNC Park.
The Washington Nationals gained further ground in the NL wild-card chase by claiming a seventh consecutive win - 6-1 against the Philadelphia Phillies - while the Cincinnati Reds suffered a 5-1 reverse against Milwaukee. Carlos Gomez tied a career high with five RBI for the Brewers.
The San Diego Padres recovered from 3-0 down to edge the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves 4-3, Logan Forsythe hitting the tie-breaking single in the eighth inning.
In other NL games, the San Francisco Giants got past the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2, Lucas Duda's first three-run homer of the year spurred helped the New York Mets beat the Miami Marlins 4-3 and the Colorado Rockies were 7-5 winners against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
