NEW YORK — Maybe there is something gained for Koji Uehara by pitching in the ninth instead of the eighth, at least indirectly.
Filling in for the injured Craig Kimbrel as the Red Sox endgame reliever, Uehara looks as steady as he has at any point this season.
He needed just seven pitches, five of them strikes, for a 1-2-3 inning in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Yankees.
Uehara closed out both of the team’s wins to start the second half, and has four strikeouts, no walks and one hit allowed in his last three appearances.
“There isn’t a huge difference but maybe I was overthinking when I was in the eighth inning,” Uehara said yesterday through translator C.J. Matsumoto. “I think the biggest difference is that getting ready emotionally is easier, because I know when I’m going to be in the game.”