The dream occurred late Friday night or early Saturday, not long after the Yankees lost a 4-3 lead in Boston and then the game when closer Aroldis Chapman walked in the winning run.

Oddly enough, the Red Sox celebrated at home plate as if they’d won on something more spectacular than what we might now call “a walk-off walk.”

Anyway, this dream was of what my unconscious imagination made of that night’s YES postgame show, those sessions when Meredith Marakovits interviews Joe Girardi.

MM: “Joe, despite the loss, you had to be pleased with the relief pitching of Chad Green.”

JG: “Yes, I was. Heck, he struck out five in two innings, didn’t allow a runner.”

MM: “And you had to be pleased with Dellin Betances in the eighth.”

JG: “I sure was. Hey, all three outs on strikeouts. That’s strong pitching.”

MM: “OK, then why the bleep did you take them out?! And when did all your closers since Mariano Rivera become Mariano bleepin’ Rivera?!

“Another thing, Joe. Stop telling us about how your bullpen is ‘a little thin, or “a bit tired.’ You just used three relievers who didn’t allow a run in four straight innings, until you finally landed on a fourth, who blew the game!”

JG: “But Meredith, Meredith …

MM: “Don’t you ‘Meredith’ me! You and the rest manage as if you’re directing Broadway plays, as if you already know all the lines and all the endings. You don’t! You’re all delusional!”

But it was only a crazy dream — the interview; the game was real.

And maybe it was in part prompted by John Sterling’s radio call of the bottom of the ninth. Sterling had to be the next-to-the-last to know what was going on. The last to know were his listeners.

But it went quickly for a Yanks-Red Sox number, a mere 3:27. Credit that time-saving automatic walk to Hanley Ramirez. MLB came, saw, conquered!

Then, by Saturday night, I was afraid to sleep perchance I’d dream.

The Yanks, that afternoon, imitated the Mets as they voluntarily looked at first-pitch strikes — the best pitch to hit they’d see — from a Grade-A starter.

By the end of four, it was clear that Chris Sale was going to throw his first pitch over the plate, thus all guesswork was off — attack before he forces you to guess wrong!

Nope. In the fifth, Ronald Torreyes then Brett Gardner got into just-stand-there 0-1 counts. Torreyes popped out; Gardner struck out.

In the sixth, Gary Sanchez then Matt Holliday looked at Sale’s first-pitch strikes. Sanchez flied out; Holliday struck out.

That’s when YES’s Al Leiter told us that only twice had Sale fallen behind batters. That’s when Michael Kay told us that Sale already had thrown nine 0-2 counts. Telling numbers.

But don’t tell us; tell the Yankees! Or tell Meredith to tell Joe!

After all, in the seventh it was Clint Frazier then Garrett Cooper who looked at Sale’s first-pitch strikes. Frazier flew out, Cooper struck out.

Then there’s Terry Collins, another member of the By The Fairy Tale Book Club. In the eighth, Saturday, the Mets led, 8-3, when Paul Sewald struck out the first two batters he faced. There would be no third. With no one on, Collins yanked him.

Why? So he could keep his shaky bullpen fresh or feed its exhaustion? He was up five in the eighth; Sewald had thrown 10 pitches. Yet Collins used two more pitchers!

Saturday night, Nationals manager Dusty Baker tried — and hard — to lose a 10-0 lead against the Reds. He used five relievers in three innings. The fourth, Trevor Gott, in the ninth replaced Oliver Perez, who’d pitched a one, two, three eighth.

Gott allowed five earned runs without throwing an out! The Nats won, 10-7. Matt Grace got the save — thanks to Baker’s new-age managing, the kind that demands the immediate, repetitive fixing of what’s not broken.

Earlier, Baker removed reliever Enny Romero, who threw one, three-up, three-down inning, striking out the side. Baker was that intent on finding a pitcher the Reds would clobber!

Anyway, MLB sold Sunday night’s Yanks-Red Sox to ESPN for an 8:05 start. The likelihood of having been awake for its end is slim. My best chance was to wake up in time to see the end.

So, looking forward to last night — is that possible? — will you read me a bedtime story? But please, nothing out of that By The Book book; it gives me nightmares; I wake up screaming. Meredith!

ESPN’s analyst overkill a smack in face to those laid off

Imagine being among the estimated 100 ESPN employees laid off this year for cost cutting, then seeing and hearing from seven — seven — pre-match analysts who were in England to comment on Saturday’s Venus Williams-Garbine Muguruza Wimbledon final.

Then add the in-match commentators, Chris Fowler and Chris Evert, and there were nine ESPN people heard on just one match played between just two women.

The weekend’s Dept. of Agriculture local recall of frankfurters found to contain bits of bone brought to mind Eddie Andelman, now 80 and for 40 years a host of Boston radio sports talk.

Andelman took a call from a man who said he and his wife plan to attend a Red Sox game. He added that they’re vegetarians, thus he asked Andelman to recommend meat-free food sold at Fenway.

“Try the hot dogs,” he said.

YES, more great camera work!

Superb replay on YES, Sunday afternoon, of on-deck batter Brett Gardner squatting to signal Clint Frazier, about to score on a close play, to slide — and to the inside of the plate. Gardner must be one of those darned, old-fashioned baseball purists!

ESPN’s No. 2 “SportsCenter” play of the day, Saturday, was a needless, showboating off-the-glass slam dunk in a game given no context other than that it included that dunk. Anchors Neil Everett and Stan Verrett hooted their approval and admiration as if they’d never before seen a slam dunk, when they’re seen every day, all day and for years on ESPN.

John Sterling on Friday complained Yankee Jordan Montgomery pitches too slowly. Same John Sterling who mocks those who complain that games have become endless slogs.

How could the Knicks pay $71 million to Tim Hardaway Jr.? Look at it this way: Last week tickets went on sale for two Harry Styles performances at Madison Square Garden — late next June. According to MSG’s website, tickets range from $40 — before Ticketmaster tack-on fees — to $525 each. Your chance to gift The Garden an 11-month interest-free loan!