Yankees Sweep Red Sox, Advance to ALDS After 9-2 Wild Card Win

New York Overwhelms Boston For Second Straight Night

The New York Yankees are moving on to the American League Division Series after completing a two game sweep of the Boston Red Sox with a dominant 9-2 victory Wednesday night. One year after rallying past Boston in an AL Wild Card Series, the Yankees flipped the script this time, overpowering the Red Sox from the opening game of the series.

Max Fried once again dominated Boston in the postseason, while Cody Bellinger and Luis García Jr. provided the biggest offensive blows as New York advanced. The Yankees will face the AL East champion Tampa Bay Rays in the AL Division Series, with Game 1 scheduled for Saturday.

Max Fried Dominates Red Sox Again

Fried delivered another strong postseason performance against Boston, allowing three hits and one run over six innings while striking out six and walking one.

The victory was Fried’s first postseason win since he helped Atlanta clinch the 2021 World Series. More importantly for New York, it continued his remarkable success against Boston in the Wild Card round. Across his two Wild Card Series appearances against the Red Sox, Fried has allowed just one run over 12 1/3 innings.

New York opened with eight left-handed hitters against Sonny Gray, who returned to the mound at Yankee Stadium, where his career took a difficult turn during the Yankees’ struggles in 2017 and 2018. Luis García Jr. gave the Yankees the lead with a fourth-inning home run, and Bellinger added an RBI single in the fifth inning against left-hander Erik Miller.

Yankees Break Game Open With Six Run Sixth

The Yankees held a narrow 2-1 advantage before turning the game into a rout with a six-run sixth inning. The inning began with a bizarre sequence involving Spencer Jones. Jones struck out on a wild pitch, and catcher Adley Rutschman recovered the ball and threw to first. First-base umpire John Libka initially ruled Jones out, but the Yankees challenged the call and video review overturned it.

Jones then stole second and continued to third when Rutschman’s throw sailed into center field. George Lombard Jr. followed with his first postseason RBI, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled before Trent Grisham’s bunt single loaded the bases. Austin Wells’ sacrifice fly pushed New York’s lead to 4-1, while Ryan McMahon added an RBI groundout.

Boston then intentionally walked Ben Rice, who had four hits and six RBIs in Game 1, bringing Bellinger to the plate. Bellinger delivered the knockout blow, pulling a changeup into the right-center-field seats for a three-run homer that capped the six-run outburst and gave New York an 8-1 advantage. Jones struck out again to end the inning, but the damage had been done.

Bellinger, García Lead Yankees Offense

Bellinger finished with four RBIs, while García recorded three hits in his first postseason start. New York’s offense continued the momentum from Tuesday’s 9-0 victory in the series opener. The Yankees hit .382 across the two games and went 9-for-20 with runners in scoring position.

That production represented a dramatic turnaround from the regular season, when New York ranked 19th among the 30 MLB teams with a .246 batting average with runners in scoring position. The Yankees also received contributions throughout the lineup as they repeatedly pressured Boston’s pitching staff.

Red Sox Offense Shut Down

Boston struggled to generate offense throughout the series, finishing with just seven hits in 60 at-bats for a .117 team batting average. The Red Sox struck out 18 times and were outscored 18-2 over the two games. Their bullpen also struggled, finishing the series with a 20.25 ERA.

Willson Contreras briefly gave Boston life when his home run ended the Red Sox’s 26-inning postseason scoreless streak and cut New York’s lead to 2-1. Nick Sogard added a seventh-inning homer off Will Warren, but Boston could not mount another comeback. The Red Sox were also without leadoff hitter Roman Anthony, who missed the series because of a hand injury.

Boston’s Season Ends After Remarkable Turnaround

Boston’s season ends after a remarkable turnaround that saw the Red Sox recover from a 32-46 start to reach the postseason. However, the Yankees erased any possibility of another October upset. Last season, Boston defeated New York in the opener of their Wild Card Series before the Yankees rallied to advance. This year, New York controlled both games from start to finish.

Garrett Crochet, who defeated the Yankees in last year’s Wild Card opener, had not pitched since April 25 because of left shoulder inflammation. His return came when Boston needed another arm, but New York’s lineup eventually broke through.

Yankees Turn Attention to ALDS Against Rays

With Boston eliminated, the Yankees now turn their attention to an AL Division Series matchup against Tampa Bay. The Rays defeated New York 7-6 in their regular-season series, setting up another AL East matchup with a trip to the Championship Series on the line.

New York will also have a major question surrounding its lineup: Aaron Judge missed the Wild Card Series because of a calf injury and remains uncertain for the ALDS.

For now, the Yankees have advanced without their star slugger, powered instead by a deep lineup and dominant pitching. After scoring 18 runs while allowing just two in the two-game sweep, New York enters the ALDS with momentum as it prepares to face Tampa Bay beginning Saturday.