NEW YORK -- Gerrit Cole remained locked in as the Yankees splashed around the bases in a wet and wild sixth inning, fully expecting to return to work if play continued. The ace swapped out his soggy uniform pants, performed some push-ups and played catch, intent upon helping snap his team’s season-long drought against the Red Sox.

Cole then eyed the soaked mound suspiciously, as one might inspect the spoiled contents of a neglected refrigerator. There were no more pitches to throw; Gary Sánchez and Gleyber Torres supplied enough thunder to lead the Yankees past Boston for the first time this season, celebrating a rain-shortened 3-1 victory on Saturday night at Yankee Stadium.

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“I thought it was a big win to be able to stop the bleeding, especially against the Red Sox,” said Cole, who struck out 11 while notching his second straight complete game.

Sánchez and Torres slugged their successive drives in the sixth inning off Boston reliever Hirokazu Sawamura. Sánchez just barely cleared the right-field wall on a liner that struck a fan standing near the top of the fence, necessitating an interference review, then Torres snapped a 29-game homerless drought to round the bases for the first time since June 5.

“In that inning, there was a lot of rain,” Torres said. “After Gary homered, it was really motivating for us. I just went to home plate and tried to do a really good thing, a special thing.”

Play halted after the sixth inning and did not resume after a delay of nearly an hour, seeing the Yankees improve to 1-7 against their American League East rivals. In that sixth inning, Red Sox manager Alex Cora briefly pulled his team from the field, fuming after left fielder Alex Verdugo was hit in the neck by a baseball thrown from the stands.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone called the situation “awful, embarrassing and unacceptable,” adding that he called Cora after the game to apologize.

“I would have done the same thing as far as getting guys off the field,” Boone said. “There’s zero place for that in this great game and this great rivalry. Players should never feel like they have to worry about anything like that.”

Returning to the mound for the first time since a 129-pitch shutout of the Astros, Cole remained sharp. Christian Arroyo’s second-inning single produced the only Boston run as Cole scattered five hits over six innings.

With backup catcher Kyle Higashioka on the COVID-19 injured list, the start marked Cole’s first assignment with Sánchez since Opening Day. Boone said that he thought the battery executed a “seamless” transition.

“I thought we worked well,” Cole said.

In the top half of the sixth, Cole pitched around two walks and an infield hit to pin the bases loaded, striking out Christian Vázquez on a hotly debated checked-swing that prompted two ejections on the Boston bench: Catcher Kevin Plawecki and bench coach Will Venable.

“Personally, I think I caught a couple of breaks,” Cole said.

Second-half surge?
Torres’ diminished power has been a curiosity of the Yankees’ season. Before he barreled Sawamura’s slider in the sixth inning, the Bombers shortstop had not homered since June 5 vs. Boston, a span of 105 at-bats.

“In the first half, I changed too many things with my stance to get more control,” Torres said. “Now I just want to be more consistent in my approach. I’m trying to have the same stance that I used before.”

Torres slugged 62 home runs in his first two Major League seasons, including a 38-homer performance in 2019, but he has hit just seven since the beginning of the pandemic-shortened '20 season.

“There’s been a lot of talk about Gleyber not hitting the ball out of the ballpark,” Boone said, “but I felt like he swung the bat well in Houston. We know what he’s capable of. To have him attack one and really put a good swing on one was encouraging.”

Tough break
The Yankees were held hitless into the fifth inning by former Bombers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi. Greg Allen notched New York’s first hit with a two-out double, then scored the tying run on DJ LeMahieu’s single to left field.

Allen could pick up more playing time in the coming days. Left fielder Tim Locastro sustained a torn right anterior cruciate ligament making a leaping catch against the wall in foul territory behind Cole in the first inning, an injury confirmed late on Saturday by an MRI.

“I feel for him,” LeMahieu said. “He got up and still threw it; saved a run and stayed in the game. He’s a beast. He’s obviously disappointed and he’s hurting, but it seems like he’s in good spirits. It was a great catch.”