NEW YORK – The Red Sox were hoping Saturday’s drama between Gerrit Cole and Rafael Devers would fuel them to split the series on Sunday and kickstart their last true chance at rising in the Wild Card standings.

“If this (postseason run) happens, we’re gonna look back at yesterday, you know, and we’re probably gonna thank Gerrit Cole, to get us going,” said manager Alex Cora before the Yankees beat the Red Sox 5-2 Sunday to take the series and win the season slate, seven games to six.

The game got away from the Red Sox early, as Kutter Crawford added two home runs and another loss to his already-MLB-leading totals, and the Boston bats drove up their already-astronomical left-on-base numbers.

“There’s certain teams that you’re good against, and there’s certain teams that don’t match up well for you, but I do believe the way he uses his pitches, his repertoire, it’s a good one,” Cora said before Crawford took the mound.

The right-hander had faced the Yankees three times before Sunday, with mixed results. On June 16, they’d tagged him for three earned runs over six innings. Then, three weeks after the right-hander shut the rivals out for seven innings at Yankee Stadium on July 7, he allowed five earned runs on eight hits over 4 ⅔ innings when the Yankees returned to Fenway on July 27.

In Crawford’s 31st start of the season, the Bronx Bombers hit him hard again. In his shortest outing against them this year, Crawford allowed four earned runs on six hits, two walks, and struck out seven over 4⅓ innings. For just the fourth time this season, he was unable to go deeper than 4⅔ innings.

“He grinded,” Cora said. “A lot of long counts, a lot of foul balls. It’s one of those, right?”

The majority of the damage came in the bottom of the third. After taking a 1-0 lead on a Giancarlo Stanton RBI double in the bottom of the second, Gleyber Torres led off the third with a classic Yankee Stadium homer, 342 feet to the short porch in right-field.

The blast that put the game away, however, came off the bat of Aaron Judge, who put a dagger in Boston’s heart on Friday night with a go-ahead grand slam. Whereas Torres’ homer had been a Yankee Stadium special – only a home run in the Bronx and Houston’s Minute Maid Park – Judge’s two-run homer was a no-doubter. It soared 445 feet to dead center and doubled the Yankees’ lead.

The Yankees almost put the game even further out of reach in the seventh. It took three Red Sox relievers to get through the frame. Rookie Luis Guerrero gave up a leadoff single to Torres, struck out Juan Soto, then walked Judge. Cora called for left-hander Bailey Horn, who should’ve had a tailor-made double play. Instead, an error by second baseman Romy Gonzalez allowed Jazz Chisholm Jr. to reach and load the bases. Stanton’s sac fly plated the Yankees’ fifth run.

“We’ve been talking for three years about this,” Cora said of the defensive issues. “We have to take care of the baseball at this level.”

When Judge and Chisholm completed a double steal and Horn walked Jasson Dominguez to reload the diamond, Cora made his second pitching change. Greg Weissert was able to leave the bases loaded and keep the game somewhat within reach.

The Red Sox collected eight hits (the Yankees had nine), three walks, and struck out nine times. Carlos Rodón picked up the win by holding Boston to two earned runs on six hits, two walks, and striking out five over 5 ⅓ innings. Boston created several opportunities throughout the afternoon, but went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. Connor Wong enjoyed a three-hit game, including a pair of doubles, but was left in scoring position after all three knocks. Ceddanne Rafaela stole two bases in the third, only to be stranded 90 feet from home when Jarren Duran ground out to end the inning. Duran also ground into a pair of double plays, something he’d only done once all season, including the one that ended the game.

Only in the top of the fourth were the Boston bats able to make something happen. Rafael Devers singled with one out, and Tyler O’Neill’s 31st home run of the season cut the Yankees’ lead in half.

Even in that inning, however, the Red Sox couldn’t capitalize on a game-tying opportunity. Wong and Masataka Yoshida followed O’Neill’s homer with back-to-back singles before Trevor Story struck out swinging and Danny Jansen ground out to strand the pair.

It’s a frustrating way to end the Yankees season series, because the Red Sox were, as Cora said postgame, “in every game.” That’s been the case throughout the second half, they’ve been too close to victory in too many of their losses. It’s also been the case for years; since the start of 2021, 43 of the rivals’ 64 games have been decided by three earned runs or fewer. The Yankees are 33-31 over that span.

But this weekend, the Red Sox were as close to splitting or even taking the series as close can be. Thursday night’s game was tied 1-1 until Juan Soto walked it off in the 10th inning. Boston led 4-0 when the bullpen imploded in the bottom of the seventh on Friday night.

“Every game was a close one, but that’s not enough,” Cora said. “You don’t get wins by playing tough games. Get W’s when you win games, and we didn’t.”

Sunday being the largest scoring deficit of the series felt symbolic of the ever-widening chasm between the Red Sox and the other Wild Card contenders.

“It’s getting tougher and tougher,” Cora admitted of his team’s rapidly-dwindling Wild Card chances.

“As a whole, if you look at our season, it might be a good one in the eyes of a lot of people, but we felt – we feel like we can play in October and be good,” Cora said. “But right now, it’s getting tougher.”