Orioles, Yankees Play AL East Rollercoaster Before Red Sox Win

Sunday certainly created plenty of theatre in the American League East for teams such as the Boston Red Sox, the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees.

The Red Sox survived a late-game rally to defeat the Kansas City Royals at Fenway Park, earning a series victory that moved Boston to a season-best 11 games over .500 entering the All-Star break.

Before the Red Sox closed out their win, the Orioles and Yankees engaged in quite the battle with first place in the AL East on the line.

The Yankees entered with the chance to finish a sweep and appeared to rip momentum away when Ben Rice, who recorded a three-home run game against the Red Sox earlier in the month, slugged a go-ahead three-run homer off of Orioles closer and former Boston right-hander Craig Kimbrel.

New York closer Clay Holmes induced a ground ball with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Shortstop Anthony Volpe could not handle the play and the Orioles moved back within a run.

With the bases loaded and two outs, Baltimore outfielder Cedric Mullins looped a ball over the head of former Boston and current Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo for a walk-off hit in a stunning 6-5 win for the Orioles.

The win helped Baltimore avoid the sweep and left the Orioles in first place in the division by one game entering the All-Star break. The Red Sox, Yankees and Orioles all sit in playoff spots and are separated by just 4 1/2 games in the AL East.