And Gio Urshela was in the middle of both as the Yankees came back from a three-run deficit against Oakland for an eventful 7-5 victory before 23,985 on Saturday at the Stadium.
It seemed as if Urshela might have to leave the game after the second inning when he hit a broken-bat ground ball and a shard of the bat flew up and struck him in the right eye.
With the score tied in the eighth, Urshela led off with his ninth home run, a 424-foot shot onto the netting above Monument Park.
“We fighting all day long, losing and then we come back,” said Urshela, who also had a run-scoring single.
“We probably overstate it, but I do think there’s definitely players that relish being in a big moment,” manager Aaron Boone said.
Gary Sanchez’s 416-foot home run into the second deck in leftfield in the sixth and two-out RBI singles by Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton in the seventh tied it at 4-4.
Aroldis Chapman issued a one-out walk to Mark Canha, and plate umpire Sean Barber’s ball four call on a 3-and-1 pitch so incensed Boone that he was ejected from the dugout for voicing his displeasure.
Judge, Stanton, Urshela and Clint Frazier each had two hits for the Yankees, but their unsung hero was lefty reliever Nestor Cortes Jr.
“I think some pitchers don’t feel as comfortable as they have and we’re taking advantage of that .