Yankees pitching implodes as Red Sox launch five homers in missed chance for early AL East statement

If the Red Sox hang around and pester the Yankees later this season, Aaron Boone & Co.might remember an early June series in which they tried to stomp on Boston’s throat and slipped.

Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.A game and series got away from the Yankees, largely because too many pitches from Carlos Rodón and the relievers who followed also got away, during an 11-7, prime-time loss in front of 45,140 on a breezy Sunday night.Walks and hit-by-pitches haunted Yankees pitchers, though not as much as the five home runs Boston hitters clubbed to first overcome a two-run deficit and later to gain separation.

After the Yankees cruised to a victory Friday, they were trampled in letting up double-digit runs in the second and third games of the series.In dropping the rubber game, the Yankees (39-25) lost just a second series in their past 10 and allowed Boston (32-35) to crawl to 8.5 games back in the AL East.The Yankees still are comfortably in front in the division but surely would have preferred sending an early statement in the year’s first matchup between the blood rivals.The Yankees wasted home runs No.

22 and 23 from Aaron Judge, who bookended the night with two-run, opposite-field shots in the first and last innings.The Yankees tried to get the tying run to the plate in the ninth, but Aroldis Chapman de-batted Anthony Volpe on a strikeout to strand two.Judge had given his club a lead six pitches into the bottom of the first, and the Yankees lost the edge at the same time as their pitchers lost control.In the fifth, a previously rolling Rodón could not locate.

He walked Cedanne Rafaela and two pitches later left a four-seamer in the middle of the plate and was punished for it, Kristian Campbell visiting the short porch to tie the game.DJ LeMahieu — 9-for-21 this month — continued his upturn with his own home run into the right-field seats t...