BOSTON — When the Yankees dropped a crushing series-opener here Friday night, manager Aaron Boone called it “gut-check time” in their season.
It will take more than just two games to get a definitive answer on how the Yankees respond to it. But the early returns have been encouraging.
In the place where their free-fall began six weeks ago, the Yankees spent much of the weekend looking more like the team they were through the first two and a half months of the season.
On Sunday, that resulted in an 8-2 win over the Red Sox at Fenway Park that secured the Yankees just their second series victory in their last 11 series.
Suddenly, the vibes have begun to shift around the team that has had a dark cloud over it since the last time they were here.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. made his debut for the Yankees (62-45) after Saturday’s trade from the Marlins, and though he only went 1-for-5 with a steal, his arrival just in time for the game seemed to provide a jolt.