Austin Wells homers twice in 9-run eighth, Heliot Ramos homers in fifth as Yankees rout Red Sox 16-1

NEW YORK (AP) — Austin Wells homered twice in a nine-run eighth inning, Heliot Ramos hit a three-run homer in the fifth and the New York Yankees widened their lead in the AL wild-card race and clinched the season series against the Boston Red Sox with a 16-1 victory on Sunday.

Wells opened the eighth with a homer off Jovani Moran and then connected against infielder Andruw Monasterio's 49.8 mph slider for a three-run shot.

It was the seventh time a Yankees player homered twice in an inning and Wells is the sixth player to achieve the feat. Wells was the first Yankee to homer twice in an inning since Gleyber Torres on Sept. 21, 2022, against Pittsburgh.

Paul Goldschmidt also homered in the eighth. Jose Caballero started at shortstop for rookie George Lombard Jr. (right knee discomfort) and launched a three-run drive off Monasterio's 49 mph slider.

The Yankees took control of a scoreless game with a five-run fifth after center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela’s glove was determined to be on the grass when he caught Jazz Chisholm Jr’s sinking liner — trapping the ball and resulting in a hit. The Red Sox challenged, but the call was upheld. Goldschmidt hit a two-run single off Ranger Suarez (5-4) two batters later.

Ramos hit his first homer since being acquired from San Francisco at the Aug. 3 trade deadline. It was the outfielder’s first homer overall since July 20 and he also had his first multihit game with the Yankees.

Ramos entered Sunday 7 for 59 in his first 20 games for the Yankees. His biggest hit since being acquired helped the Yankees (78-59) move four games ahead of the Red Sox (74-63) and win seven of 13 meetings to clinch the head-to-head tiebreaker if both teams finish with the same record.

New York starter Will Warren (9-6) allowed Nick Sogard’s RBI single in the eighth among six hits in seven-plus innings.

The Yankees won for the 10th time in 14 games and scored their most runs this season. New York also finished with 18 hits for its second-highest total.

Suarez allowed season highs of six runs and nine hits in 5 1/3 innings. Monasterio gave up five runs.

Red Sox: LHP Payton Tolle (8-6, 3.09 ERA) opens a three-game series against Seattle on Monday at Fenway Park.

Yankees: RHP Elmer Rodríguez (0-2, 4.70) opens a three-game series against the Angels in Anaheim on Monday.

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See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Boston Red Sox's Roman Anthony celebrates after his ground rule double in the first inning during a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)

New York Yankees' Jazz Chisholm Jr. scores past Boston Red Sox catcher Adley Rutschman, right, after Yankees' Paul Goldschmidt hit a two-RBI single in the fifth inning during a baseball game, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)

Boston Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran (16) watches fans react after New York Yankees' Heliot Ramos hit a three-run home run, also scoring Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger, in the fifth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)

New York Yankees pitcher Will Warren throws in the first inning during a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)

New York Yankees' Heliot Ramos celebrates in the dugout after hitting a three-run home run in the fifth inning during a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Hundreds of people crowded into a church near Haiti’s capital on Sunday for the funeral of four of the 47 people killed in a recent gang attack so brutal that it shook a country that has long struggled with violence.

Mourners wiped away tears, raised their hands and cried out as coffins arrived at a church in the farming community of Kenscoff.

“We thank everyone who came in solidarity with the families that died and those who lost their loved ones,” Pastor Jean Robert Dorlus said. “God will open a space to receive them.”

At least 47 people were killed and more than 50 others kidnapped when armed men attacked the once-peaceful community of Kenscoff near Haiti’s capital a week ago. T hey later released six children and seven women following an intervention by community leaders and UNICEF.

It was one of the biggest mass kidnappings in Haiti in recent years, and survivors have organized protests and blamed police for not preventing the attack, which pierced the belief that security in the troubled Caribbean country was improving.

Gang violence has displaced a record of nearly 1.5 million people across Haiti, where more than 3,050 people were reported killed from January to June, according to U.N. statistics.

Inside the church, people swayed to gospel music. Some wailed as their shoulders shook. The church was so packed that dozens had to stand outside, peering through the windows, as they honored those being laid to rest: a mother, father and their son, and a 70-year-old man whose body had been set on fire by the gang members.

“I’ve known them for a long time,” said Yvon Marleus, a Kenscoff resident who lost a cousin in the attack. “These are people who are respected in the community.”

“They didn’t act in time to stop the carnage,” Marleus alleged, referring to police.

Haiti’s National Police has said that it ordered an investigation to establish the truth about the attack, and whether it was "due to complicity or negligence.”

Outside the church, civilians stood guard with automatic weapons, ready to repel any potential new gang attacks with the help of police officers stationed nearby.

Kenscoff resident Jean Calixte Juste said he and two cousins survived the attack “by luck.”

"I almost died,” he recalled. “I almost fell into a ravine running. This is the worst and most terrible night I’ve ever experienced.”

He didn’t know the four people whose funerals were held Sunday, but he said he wanted to honor their memories.

It wasn't clear when funerals of the other victims might be held.

On Sunday, Pope Leo XIV condemned the massacre.

“I express my prayerful closeness to the victims and their families and ask that all the hostages be released without delay,” he said. "I make a heartfelt appeal to all those responsible to make a concrete commitment to ensuring the safety of the population and putting an end to every form of violence.”

Marta Hurtado, a spokesperson for the U.N. Human Rights Office, said that some 150 heavily armed gang members participated in the Aug. 23 attack. She said they first killed 13 people who tried to flee and then pursued 50 more who had sought refuge inside a church.

“After forcing them out from the premises, they executed 22 of them on the church courtyard and 12 others behind the church,” she said.

Dozens of others were injured, and more than 2,600 people were left homeless.

Armed men control an estimated 70% of Port-au-Prince and swaths of land in Haiti’s central region and beyond, and they are also seeking to seize territory in Kenscoff.

“I’m ready to leave," said Juste, one of the residents. "Because after this, I don’t think we’re going to survive another big attack.”

Coto reported from Havana.

Relatives carry a coffin to the cemetery for burial after the funeral ceremony for four victims killed in a gang attack on the Kenscoff neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

Relatives attend the funeral ceremony for four victims of a gang attack in the Kenscoff neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

Relatives lift the coffin of a gang attack victim for burial at the cemetery after the funeral ceremony for four people killed during the attack in the Kenscoff neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

Relatives attend the funeral of four victims of a gang attack in the Kenscoff neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

Blood stains the ground left behind by the victim of a gang attack in the Kenscoff neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)