MLB: Boston 12, New York Yankees 8

NEW YORK, Sept. 6 (UPI) -- Mike Napoli touched off a Boston comeback and Shane Victorino kept it going Friday to rally the Red Sox past the New York Yankees 12-8.

For the second straight night the Red Sox put together late heroics to slow down the Yankees' playoff hopes.

New York took an 8-3 lead into the seventh inning, but Boston scored five times in that frame with Napoli delivering a grand slam homer to deadlock the contest.

Victorino put Boston in front with a two-run blast in the eighth and the Red Sox added two more in the inning on a bases-loaded walk drawn by Daniel Nava and an RBI single by Stephen Drew.

The nine-run outburst over the seventh and eighth made a winner out of Brandon Workman (5-2), who put in 1 1/3 innings of relief.

Andy Pettitte worked six innings and left with the lead, but the New York bullpen collapsed and the loss was eventually charged to Preston Claiborne (0-2), who gave up the home run by Victorino.

Boston took advantage of a blown save by Mariano Rivera Thursday to tie the score in the ninth and then defeated the Yankees in 10 innings.