NEW YORK — The Red Sox were poised to inflict some delicious pain on their old rivals Tuesday night. They were three outs away from dropping the Yankees into a tie for the American League East with the Orioles with one game to play.

It was a scenario New York desperately wanted to avoid. A tie for the division title would require a one-game playoff Thursday in Baltimore. The loser then would play in the one-game wild-card playoff Friday.