Elliot Maddox singled home Sandy Alomar with the winning and only run in the bottom of the tenth inning as the New York Yankees squeezed by the Red Sox in Shea Stadium last night.

The win kept the Yankees within a half game of the Baltimore Orioles, as the Birds rallied for three runs in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Detroit Tigers, 5-4. The loss left the Red Sox with little more than mathematical possibilities.

Red Sox lefthander Bill Lee and Yankee ace Doc Medich dueled brilliantly for nine and a half innings. But in the Yankee half of the tenth, Alomar led off with a walk. Substitute shortstop Fred Stanley followed with a perfect sacrifice bunt that got Alomar to second.

Yankee designated hitter Roy White then hit a high chopper between third base and the pitcher's mound. By the time the ball came down, however, White was safe at first and Alomar was standing on third. Centerfielder Maddox followed and hit the very first pitch on the ground through the right side for a base hit.

The Red Sox bobbled numerous scoring chances throughout the contest, stranding 13 men, including two in the ninth and two in the tenth.

The win was the 19th for Medich against 14 losses. Lee is now 16-14.

Meanwhile in Baltimore, Tommy Davis capped the Birds' three-run rally in the ninth with a two-out, two-run single. Andy Etchebarren had started the rally off loser Mickey Lolich, 16-20, with a single. Curt Motten followed with a walk and Birds' boss Earl Weaver replaced both players with pinch-runners.

Centerfielder Paul Blair then singled in one run. Bobby Grich followed with a long fly that advanced both runners and set the stage for Davis's game-winning hit.

The Yankees now have five games left to play, all on the road (three in Cleveland and two in Milwaukee). The Orioles play three more with Milwaukee and three with Detroit.