Kevin Youkilis’ drive squirted out of the webbing of Johnny Damon’s glove and bounced up off the top of the left-field wall in the third inning of Friday’s game between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.

And bounced. And bounced.

The ball came to rest on top of the fence, which was shaking from the impact of the Yankees left fielder crashing into in it as he tried to make a leaping catch. And there the ball sat for several tantalizing seconds. The sellout crowd at Yankee Stadium wondered: Would it fall behind for a home run, roll back onto the field or just sit there?

Finally, the ball dropped back in and landed near Damon, who was sprawled on the warning track. A fan behind the fence frantically pointed to where the ball was.

Youkilis cruised into third base with a two-run triple that enabled Boston to tie the score 3-3.

After center fielder Melky Cabrera threw the ball back to the infield, Yankees manager Joe Girardi and a trainer attended to Damon, who was holding his ribs and shaking his arm.

Damon left the game and was replaced by Brett Gardner. He was diagnosed with a bruised left shoulder, the team said. X-rays were negative, and Damon will be re-evaluated within 24 hours and have an MRI.