Jeter Hurt as Yankees Beat Red Sox Jared Wickerham/Getty Images Derek Jeter, right, walking off the field after appearing to hurt his leg on a close play at first on Wednesday. BOSTON - The Yankees have been sitting precariously atop the American League East standings for a week. One misstep could cast them into second place for the first time in three months. That misstep appeared to have cropped up Wednesday night when Derek Jeter landed awkwardly on first base while trying to beat out a double play ball in the eighth inning. It was a worrisome sight for the Yankees when he came up limping and had to be removed from the game. So important is Jeter to the Yankees" chances of winning the division that some of his teammates shuddered when he left the field, even if they knew he had been dealing with a bone bruise in his left ankle for more than a week. "That's the last guy you want to see go down," Robinson Cano said. One hundred percent I was worried. But good news was the theme of day for the Yankees, who avoided a serious injury to Jeter as well as a dip into second place. They held on to beat the Boston Red Sox, 5-4, at Fenway Park, and most important, Jeter declared unequivocally that he would play Thursday. "I just jammed my ankle," he said. It's not a big deal. Jeter believes that if you play, there is no need to discuss injuries, and since he said he would play Thursday in the final game of the series, he refused to provide more details. He said he tried to convince Manager Joe Girardi that he should remain in the game, but Girardi was not hearing it. "I tried to stay in," he said, "but he's the manager." As the trainer Steve Donohue escorted Jeter off the field, Jeter's limp faded away with each step. Afterward, Girardi said Jeter told him the ankle felt great. The Yankees are already playing without first baseman Mark Teixeira, who is out at least a week with a strained left calf. The loss of Jeter, who is batting .325, would make playoff hopes even more challenging. "It doesn't temper the win, because we need to win," Girardi said. That was made evident when the Baltimore Orioles beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 3-2, so the playoff race remains a dead heat with only 20 games to play. A near comeback by the Red Sox was thwarted by the continued resurgence of Curtis Granderson, who hit two home runs, and Cano, who hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning. It was Cano's 30th home run, a career high. The rookie David Phelps may have made his last start of the season, but if it was he left a good impression on the Yankees by pitching well in the middle of a September playoff race. He allowed only one run over five and two-thirds innings and evened his record at 4-4 with an impressive 3.42 earned run average. Still, Phelps could be headed back to the bullpen to make room in the rotation for Andy Pettitte, who is on the verge of returning from a broken leg. While Phelps held the Red Sox hitless for three innings, the Yankees broke through for three runs in the fourth when Granderson hit his first home run, a solo blast over the Red Sox bullpen in right center field. In the seventh Granderson hit a two-run shot, also into the right-field bleachers after Jeter had reached on a single. The run Jeter scored was his 1,860th, moving him past Mel Ott and into 12th place on the career list. After Granderson's first shot in the fourth, Alex Rodriguez stroked a base hit to center and then Cano hit a ball the opposite way into the Green Monster seats. Cano had 29 homers in 2011. The Yankees led 5-3 in the ninth when Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who had a triple and a double and walked, hit a solo home run off Rafael Soriano for a cycle of sorts. But Soriano got Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston's hero Tuesday, to bounce back to the mound to end the game with a runner on base. Red Sox right fielder CODY ROSS was ejected in the eighth inning after being called out on strikes by the home-plate umpire, ALFONSO MARQUEZ. Ross spun around on Marquez as he clutched the bat over his head in a menacing manner. Red Sox Manager BOBBY VALENTINE was also ejected for arguing the call. It was Valentine's sixth ejection, the most by any Red Sox manager or player. ... Robinson Cano jammed his left wrist diving for a ball, but said he would play Thursday.