BOSTON -- It seemed at the time nothing more than an outrageously cool moment, one that fit all the cliches: "memorable," "special," "exciting," "one-you-don't-forget."

And of course it was all of those. But add another to the list: pivotal.

Indeed, without rookie Rob Refsnyder's two-run home run in the top of the ninth inning Sunday at Fenway Park, the first-place Yankees might lose, and their grip (three 1/2 games) over the American League East loosened just enough to maybe matter in a few months.

"It felt good off the bat," Refsndyer said. "A ball over the plate with two strikes, I was fortunate enough to run into it."

The homer put the Yankees up 8-4, seemingly a safe lead, but they gave up two in the bottom of the ninth (partly Refsnyder's fault) as closer Andrew Miller finished the afternoon with the game-tying run at the plate. New York won, 8-6.

"It was a huge hit," All-Star left fielder Brett Gardner said.

The 24-year-old who was called-up to the majors Friday and started his first game Saturday, was almost the dunce, though.

In that ninth inning up four, Miller flung a ball his way off a sac bunt for a potential game-ending double play. Refsndyer missed it, as the ball shot into center and a run scored.

He was charged with the error, his first as a major leaguer.

"I got to the bag late," Refsndyer said. "It's my fault. Andrew and I talked about it...Gotta catch it, it's my mistake, obviously."

ALSO

:

Refsnyder's knock has been his defense. He made 13 errors this season at Triple-A, though he's been improving, with just two over the last six weeks.

Manager Joe Girardi said there was no consideration of taking him out and replacing him with Stephen Drew for defensive purposes.

"There was no hesitation," Girardi said. "That's what we brought him in to do, to play."

Refsndyer collected his first hit in the seventh, a single, but nothing was bigger than the home run, literally or figuratively on Sunday.

The question now becomes what to do with Refsnyder. The team's said nothing of their plans. Will he go, stay, be traded? They have a second baseman making $5 million this season (Drew) and while his batting average is a punchline (.182), he's hit 12 home runs and plays steady defense.

They could platoon the two players depending on who's pitching. Drew, a lefty, has 10 homers off righties, and Refsndyer, a righty, has four homers in the minors off lefties. Naturally, his home run Sunday was off a righty.

Another problem Refnsyder faces is the return of backup infielder Brendan Ryan, who should be back with the team Friday after rehabbing an upper thoracic strain. Where does Refsndyer fit?

"Obviously we have four days off and I have a lot of time to think about things, but he played well," Girardi said.

Your browser does not support iframes.

It seems the move most Yankee fans want to see is to scrap Drew entirely, but handing the keys completely over to Refsnyder after only a handful of games isn't likely.

What does he think? Is he concerned with the fact he doesn't have games in the next few days to keep impressing coaches?

"I don't think so," he said. "The Yankees do a really good job of scouting...I didn't have the sense to prove anything."

Just before that, though, he said he would be lying if he didn't say he started to worry after not getting a hit in his first few at-bats. The thoughts of not being able to play at the major league level start to creep in your mind, he said.

He erased all doubt with one swing. The only question now is if the Yankees deem it worthy enough to keep him the next three months.

Ryan Hatch may be reached at rhatch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ryanhatch. Find NJ.com on Facebook.