Yankees erupt late to get past Red Sox

BOSTON -- In a game that mirrored the season, the New York Yankees bounced back.

Alex Rodriguez capped a six-run eighth inning with a tiebreaking single off Jonathan Papelbon, and the Yankees overcame a five-run deficit to beat the Boston Red Sox, 8-7, Friday night.

Jason Giambi and Robinson Cano started the comeback with home runs off Hideki Okajima, Derek Jeter hit an RBI single against Papelbon and Bobby Abreu tied it with a two-run double.

“Every win now is a big win,” Jeter said.

By winning a 4-hour 43-minute marathon -- two minutes shy of the record for a nine-inning game set by the Yankees and Red Sox on Aug. 18 last year -- New York closed to within 4 1/2 games of East Division-leading Boston. The Yankees remained 3 1/2 games ahead of Detroit in the wild-card race.

Boston has led the division for the last 150 days. By winning the opener of a three-game series, the Yankees kept alive their slim chances for overtaking their longtime rival.