BOSTON — Jasson Domínguez drove in the first Yankees run on Saturday in the top of the seventh, and his ninth-inning double gave them a chance to tie the Red Sox.
But it was his brutal mental blunder on the bases in that seventh inning that really stood out in a 4-3 loss.
With two out in the inning, Domínguez was at second, Austin Wells at first and the Yankees had scored twice.
But Domínguez inexplicably was caught between second and third on a pitch that Trent Grisham missed for the second strike of the at-bat.
Catcher Carlos Narvaez noticed Domínguez in no-man’s-land, threw behind him to shortstop Trevor Story, who tossed to Marcelo Mayer at third and Domínguez was tagged out to end the threat.
Domínguez owned up to the mistake, saying he thought Grisham had struck out on the pitch, which would have been the third out.
Instead, it was an ugly miscue.
“I thought he had two strikes, but I have nothing to say, no excuses,” Domínguez said. “I made a mistake.”
When told manager Aaron Boone said he believed Domínguez would never make a similar miscue, Domínguez said, “For sure, after I had this experience, I will pay more attention.”
The play was so unusual that Boston manager Alex Cora wasn’t even sure what happened after the game, wondering what led Domínguez to wander so far off the bag.
Regardless, he was pleased with the result — especially with how it impacted the remainder of the game.
“That’s a huge play in that situation,’’ Cora said. “Then we can send [Justin] Wilson back for Grisham [in the eighth].”
The lefty retired Grisham to start the eighth and retired the side in order.
Boone said he spoke with Domínguez afterward and reminded him the importance of staying aware of the game situation.
It spoiled what was somewhat of a productive night for the slumping rookie.
Domínguez entered Saturday hitless in his previous nine plate appearances and in the midst of a funk that dates back more than a month, but has been especially rough since May 25.
He was 8-for-41 with one extra-base hit and 17 strikeouts in 46 plate appearances in his previous 12 games and hadn’t had an RBI in a 15-game stretch.
Domínguez lined out in the second and flied to left in the fifth before the run-scoring single in the seventh.
After being erased on the basepaths later in the seventh, Domínguez extended the failed rally in the ninth with the double, but was stranded there when Wells lined out to center to end the game.
