PITTSBURGH — Strange things happen in baseball.

That’s what Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before Sunday afternoon’s series finale at PNC Park, after his team had already secured a series victory which kept what little sliver of hope the Yanks have for the postseason alive. However, a strange hit ruined New York’s bid to sweep its way back home.

Carlos Rodón went 6 2/3 innings in his longest start of the season, but he could not record the final out in the seventh, as Jason Delay’s grounder bounced down the line and ricocheted off the third-base bag to provide the game-deciding hit in New York’s 3-2 loss to the Bucs on Sunday afternoon.

It didn’t help that the Yankees’ offense took a while to get going. The unit was held without a hit until Estevan Florial led off the sixth with a single. He then scored on DJ LeMahieu’s double one batter later. Anthony Volpe sent his first homer of September to right-center field to tie the game in the seventh before the unfortunate bounce spoiled the Yanks’ afternoon in the bottom of the inning.