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Homers from Headley, Teixeira not enough to propel Yanks

NEW YORK -- Chase Headley roared with elation as he rounded the bases, having rescued his club from defeat with a ninth-inning homer off Edward Mujica. Headley could not have imagined that the Yankees and Red Sox still had 10 more innings to play on a Friday evening that bled into Saturday morning.

"It's such a rush of emotion when it happens," Headley said after Boston's 6-5 victory. "Five innings later, I was searching for some more. It was tough, but that's how it goes. Everybody has to deal with the same circumstances. They were able to get one more than we were.

"It was just a wonderful game. I wish we would have won, but it was a great game."

Video: BOS@NYY: Teixeira homers in 16th to even game again

Headley's homer erased one of four late Red Sox leads in the contest, as Mark Teixeira also belted a game-tying solo homer off Steven Wright in the 16th inning -- a shot that cleared the wall on Teixeira's 35th birthday. Headley said that as the at-bats piled up in the six-hour, 49-minute affair, it became increasingly difficult to maintain focus.

"You're just wanting somebody to get it done," Headley said. "When you're up there, you want to get it done. You're pulling for your guys. We just couldn't get that extra one. We'd get the one, but we couldn't get the other one. It's tough, but it's part of the game. We'll move on and we'll be fine."

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said that the dugout mood was lively, and that even at the end, his club seemed to think they could pull it out.

"Once you come back, you feel like you're getting a little momentum and you're close to winning that game," said Carlos Beltran, who entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning and went 1-for-6 with a game-tying double. "Unfortunately we played a real long game."

As he spoke at his locker, Headley displayed some puffy bags under his eyes, evidence of a late night that had already bled into the early morning hours. The Yankees pushed back their player report time for Saturday's 1:05 p.m. ET game, and Girardi said that he expected to have to rest several of his regulars for the matinee.

"I've felt better, but I'll be fine," Headley said. "This is part of the gig. We understand that. We'll get some rest, get in the cold tub and the hot tub in the morning and fire it back up."

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @bryanhoch and read his MLBlog, Bombers Beat.
Read More: New York Yankees, Mark Teixeira, Chase Headley