Yankees release Kraken, lead Sox by 9 1/2

NEW YORK -- Ask Gary Sánchez to explain his offensive resurgence and a simple response will follow. His health restored in the wake of a left shoulder procedure, all is right in the power-hitting catcher's world, suggesting that his dismal 2018 campaign should be rendered a footnote to his otherwise impressive career.

With a one-handed swing, Sanchez blasted his 18th homer on Saturday, a tie-breaking two-run shot off Rick Porcello that lifted the Yankees to a 5-3 victory over the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. The 18 homers match Sanchez's total from last season, when he batted .186 in 89 games, then had surgery to clean up a shoulder that had bothered him for more than a year.

• Box score

"They went in there and they fixed the problem with the shoulder," Sanchez said through a translator. "Looking back at last year, I dealt with that and it was tough. I still thought that I was able to play with discomfort in the shoulder, but that's not an excuse. You can never use that as an excuse. It feels good right now."

With the victory, the Yankees increased their lead to 9 1/2 games over the Red Sox in the American League East. It represented the ninth consecutive series victory for the Bombers, who had not accomplished that feat since 1998. New York is 21-5 since its last series loss, the best record in the Majors over that span.

"It's huge, man," said Luke Voit, who contributed three hits and a run scored. "These series mean everything. It doesn't matter if it's June, July, August, early on. We're ready to play these guys and it's a fun atmosphere. The crowd brought it again tonight. It was a lot of fun."

And it has been fun watching Sanchez reclaim his 2016-17 vintage prowess. Voit said that he realized early in Spring Training that Sanchez looked different than the guy with whom he played down the stretch last year, saying that Sanchez seemed to be controlling the strike zone better.

• Porcello: 'We're not closing the gap'

"I feel like last year was kind of a weird year for him," Voit said. "I feel like he's finally healthy now, and for him to hit that out was a huge momentum swing for us. He's raking right now and it's really impressive. That's why I get hyped about it. He's being Gary Sanchez."

The fifth-inning blast off Porcello, however, was admittedly darting out of the strike zone as Sanchez started his swing. Fooled by the pitch, Sanchez still caught enough to muscle the ball into the right-field bullpen, and Brett Gardner was among those who marveled at Sanchez's strength.

"I think Gary is one of the most talented hitters in the league," Gardner said. "He continues to find ways to impress us."

Gio Urshela and DJ LeMahieu delivered again with runners in scoring position, collecting RBIs in a three-run second inning as the Yankees peppered Porcello for five singles in the frame.

"We're scoring runs in different ways; hitting the ball out of the ballpark at times, but tonight, I thought we did a really good job of executing at-bats against a pretty tough pitcher like Porcello," Gardner said.

One of the singles could have been an extra-base hit for a non-hustling Gleyber Torres, who received an admonishment when he returned to the dugout, according to manager Aaron Boone.

"We've got it handled," Boone said.

Porcello lasted 4 2/3 innings. New York starter Domingo Germán struck out eight, but his night ended early as well, done in by a high pitch count (87) as much as Xander Bogaerts' solo homer and a pair of Sandy León RBI singles.

It was the second consecutive subpar start for German, who completed only 3 2/3 innings and missed his second chance to become the Majors' first 10-game winner.

"They're tough hitters, selective hitters who don't really chase much," German said through a translator. "They made me work tonight. On the other hand, Chad Green came in and did a great job tonight, and the rest of the guys in the bullpen as well."

Green recorded four outs, including strikeouts of Brock Holt and Michael Chavis to escape a fifth-inning jam. The Yankees' crew silenced Boston from there, with four arms delivering the ball to Aroldis Chapman in the ninth inning.

Leaning on his slider, Chapman induced J.D. Martinez to hit into a key double play, then retired Rafael Devers on a groundout to secure his 17th save.

"Tonight was a battle," Boone said. "I mean, it was a heavyweight fight out there. Every out was hard earned. Yeah, another good one."