NEW YORK — Sunday afternoon, the New York Yankees and first-place Oakland Athletics wrapped up their three-game series at Yankee Stadium. Gary Sánchez continued his hot streak with a go-ahead two-run double to give the Yankees the series victory (NYY 2, OAK 1). New York has won five of its last six games.
The win did not come easy. Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman walked the first two batters in the ninth inning on nine pitches, and was having trouble with one of his fingernails. With Chad Green unavailable due to his recent workload and Zack Britton unavailable due to soreness, the Yankees did not have a safety net available behind the struggling Chapman.
With their closer unable to throw strikes and their top setup men unavailable, the Yankees got exactly what they needed to escape the jam and win the game:…
