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Max Fried was spectacular in his Yankees postseason debut on Tuesday night. 

He worked his way through three efficient frames to open the game, holding the rival Red Sox to just two hits, but then was faced with trouble in each of the next few innings. 

The ace left-hander worked around two-on-and-two-out jams in both the top of the fourth and the fifth, getting Jaren Duran to strikeout swinging and then Yankee killer Alex Bregman to groundout to third, respectively. 

He began to labor again after issuing a one-out walk in the sixth, but was able to get the speedy Nate Eaton to ground into a hard-hit inning-ending double to dance through the frame. 

Fried admitted that he exerted a lot of energy trying to work out of those jams, but he felt he had enough left in the tank for whatever the team needed. 

Aaron Boone decided that was just the leadoff man, Duran, whom he got to roll over for the first out of the top of the seventh, before turning things over to the bullpen. 

It didn’t take long for that decision to immediately backfire on the Yanks. 

Luke Weaver entered and immediately allowed the next three batters to reach, with the big blow being a pinch-hit go-ahead two-run single from Masataka Yoshida. 

Boston added another run against David Bednar later in the game, but that inning would go down as the difference in the Wild Card series-opening loss. 

Despite things not working out, Boone stood by the decision to pull Fried with 102 pitches. 

“He gave us what we needed,” the skipper said. “They pressured him pretty good in the fourth, fifth, sixth. Had a couple of baserunners in each inning. Felt like he kind of cruised through the first few and ends up pitching great, but had to work pretty hard there.

“I was going to have the sixth be the end -- after we finished with the double play, I wanted him to go out and get Duran and felt like we were lined up pretty well from there.”

New York will look to stay alive Wednesday with Carlos Rodon on the mound.

Max Fried delivered the kind of high-level start that befits a $218-million ace and departed Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series with his Yankees ahead of the Red Sox. But the Yankee bullpen -- one of their potential postseason danger zones -- blew the lead. 

Now, the Yanks face elimination in their own ballpark. 

Boston beat the Yankees, 3-1, Tuesday night in the opener of this best-of-three affair, which means the Sox can advance by beating the Yanks again in Game 2 Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium. 

Luke Weaver came in with one out and nobody on in the seventh and did not have it. He gave up two runs, squandering a 1-0 lead. That meant the Yanks had to try to rally against Boston ace Garrett Crochet, who was amazing. 

Here are the takeaways...

- The Yankees ranked 23rd in MLB in relief ERA during the regular season, despite some talented arms, trade-deadline additions and role shifts. No wonder it was a source of such consternation through the summer. Yankee manager Aaron Boone doubtless will be second-guessed for taking out Fried for a reliever when he did, even if Fried had thrown 102 pitches. Fried only exceeded that number eight times during the regular season, when his high was 111. David Bednar gave up a Boston insurance run on an RBI double by Alex Bregman in the ninth.

- In the bottom of the ninth, Aaron Judge, whose postseason numbers are well-documented, came up with a runner on first and no one out and Boston closer Aroldis Chapman on the mound. Judge singled up the middle, his second hit of the game, to put the tying run on base. Cody Bellinger followed with a single to load the bases and put the potential tying run in scoring position. But Chapman struck out Giancarlo Stanton, got Jazz Chisholm Jr. on a flyout to right field and fanned Trent Grisham to seal the win.

- Volpe’s second-inning homer was an opposite-field shot to right that traveled 382 feet and gave the Yanks a 1-0 lead. Volpe turned around a Crochet fastball clocked at 97 miles per hour for his second career Postseason home run. The first was his grand slam in Game 4 of last year’s World Series against the Dodgers. 

- The Yanks held a 1-0 lead into the seventh inning, but after Fried came out, Weaver gave up the advantage. With one out, he walked No. 8 hitter Ceddane Rafaela in an 11-pitch battle. The next hitter, Nick Sogard, doubled to put runners on second and third. Red Sox manager Alex Cora then sent up pinch-hitter Masataka Yoshida so he could have a lefty hitter face Weaver. Yoshida swatted a two-run single into center to put Boston ahead, 2-1. Fernando Cruz relieved Weaver and got two outs sandwiched around a walk, limiting the damage. 

- Fried, who had a blazing finish to his regular season, was terrific, throwing 6.1 scoreless innings and leaving to a huge ovation once he had gotten the first out of the seventh. Fried allowed four hits while striking out six and walking three. He threw 102 pitches, 63 of them for strikes. Fried, who was making his 21st career postseason appearance (13th start), trimmed his playoff ERA from 5.10 to 4.66 with the gem. While his final line was spotless, run-wise, he did encounter some trouble. To his credit, he wriggled out of it each time, though.

- In back-to-back innings midway through the game, Fried wobbled but did not allow a run. With two out in the fourth, he walked Carlos Narváez on a 3-2 pitch after narrowly missing striking him out and then gave up a bloop double to right to Nate Eaton. Amidst the threat, Fried fell behind the next hitter, Jarren Duran, 3-0, but rebounded to strike him out with a breaking ball. When he came off the mound afterward, the normally stoic Fried slapped his glove in celebration of getting a big out. Still, it took effort to get through the danger – Fried threw 24 pitches in the fourth inning alone, running his pitch count up to 61. In the fifth, he again walked a hitter on a 3-2 pitch with two out -- this time it was Rob Refsnyder -- and then gave up a single to Trevor Story. But Fried retired Alex Bregman on a grounder.

- Fried threw seven different pitches during his outing, according to Baseball Savant, and generated 19 swings-and-misses overall. The Red Sox swung at his curveball 10 times and missed eight times. He threw a particularly gorgeous one to strike out Story to end the third inning with a runner on second. 

- The Yankees had an early opportunity when Paul Goldschmidt and Judge clocked consecutive singles to start the first inning. But Crochet dealt with it quickly. First, the Boston lefty got Bellinger to swing-and-miss at 98.7-mph heat for strike three. Then he got Stanton to hit into an inning-ending, 6-4-3 double play. 

Game MVP: Garrett Crochet

Crochet, who allowed four hits and one run across 7.2 terrific innings. He struck out 11 and walked none. After allowing a solo homer to Anthony Volpe in the second inning, Crochet retired 17 straight hitters until he gave up a single to Volpe in the eighth. Crochet fanned the last batter he faced, Austin Wells, catching him looking at a fastball clocked at 100.2 miles per hour. Crochet threw 117 pitches, 78 for strikes.

Highlights

Max Fried gets his first postseason K as a Yankee in the midst of a scoreless first inning pic.twitter.com/TFwZRGNY8L

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 30, 2025

ANTHONY VOLPE GETS THE YANKEES ON THE BOARD FIRST IN GAME 1! pic.twitter.com/cwSf9tZpzO

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 30, 2025

Max Fried strands ‘em! pic.twitter.com/c9zO0f2p77

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 30, 2025

What's next

The Yankees and Red Sox meet again for Game 2 of the Wild Card series on Wednesday evening as New York looks to stave off elimination. First pitch is set for 6:08 p.m.

Carlos Rodon will take the mound against Brayan Bello.

What we learned in Red Sox Game 1 win over Yankees: Alex Cora's still got it originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

It’s widely believed that the Red Sox lack the high-end talent to go on a World Series run. Rightly so.

What’s often missing from that discussion, though, is the advantage the Red Sox have in the dugout. Because while there may not be easily accessible, tangible evidence to prove it, the reality is that Alex Cora is a master of his craft — one whose comfort in big moments gives the Red Sox an edge over just about any team in baseball.

Cora’s feel for the game was on display in multiple areas in Tuesday night’s dramatic 3-1 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the Wild Card Round.

Most significantly, Cora outmaneuvered counterpart Aaron Boone with the management of his ace pitcher.

Boone pulled Max Fried after 6.1 scoreless innings and the Red Sox immediately made the Yankees pay, scoring two runs off New York’s shaky bullpen in the seventh to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead in the blink of an eye.

Cora, meanwhile, sent Garrett Crochet out for the seventh inning at 94 pitches. Crochet needed just six pitches to end that frame, buzzing through the 3-4-5 spots in New York’s order, so Cora sent him back out for the eighth.

Even after Anthony Volpe — whose solo home run in the second inning accounted for Crochet’s lone run allowed all night — hit a one-out single, Cora did not go to the bullpen, where he stashes the best one-two late-inning combo in Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman.

Crochet rewarded his manager by striking out Austin Wells, who stood by and watched as a 100.2 mph pitch hit the bottom of the strike zone.

From there, Cora went to Chapman — not Whitlock — for the final out of the eighth. In doing so, he kept Boone’s best pinch-hitting option — lefty Ben Rice — on the bench. While Chapman made things hairy by loading the bases in the bottom of the ninth, he ultimately delivered the save by retiring Giancarlo Stanton (strikeout), Jazz Chisholm (flyout) and Trent Grisham (strikeout) to end the game.

Cora’s decision-making was under scrutiny before the game even began, as his starting lineup for Game 1 of the postseason was …. interesting. He utilized his lineup for facing lefties, with Rob Refsnyder in the leadoff spot and Romy Gonzalez as the cleanup hitter, and he had Nick Sogard and Nate Eaton in the starting lineup.

And though lefty killers Refsnyder and Gonzalez didn’t deliver, Eaton (1-for-3 with a double) and Sogard (2-for-4 with a double, go-ahead run scored in seventh) did.

And when given the opportunity to insert Masataka Yoshida as a pinch hitter for Refsnyder, Cora did it immediately. Yoshida came through with the hit of the night.

(Cora also called on Nathaniel Lowe as a pinch hitter for Gonzalez in the seventh, and Lowe delivered a line drive. Aaron Judge, however, was able to make the inning-ending catch.)

Cora’s reach extends beyond the box score, too. Sogard’s double — which followed an 11-pitch walk by Ceddanne Rafaela in the seventh — came thanks to heads-up base running when Sogard recognized that Judge would be fielding the ball in the right-center field gap. Sogard didn’t hesitate, bursting for second and beating Judge’s throw.

Judge missed time this season due to a flexor strain in his throwing arm, and he’s clearly been bothered by it since returning to the field earlier this month. Sogard taking second was no accident.

“That’s preparation,” Cora said of Sogard taking the extra base. “We talk about their outfielders and what we can do and what we cannot do, and he saw it right away and took advantage of it.”

A masterclass? Perhaps an overstatement. Yet just like he did several times in the Red Sox’ run to a championship in 2018, Cora pushed every right button in this victory in New York, one where there was little to no room for error.

For this Red Sox roster to win playoff games, they’re going to have to be a grind like this one. They’re not good enough to win going away from any teams at this time of year. Stacking victories and winning series won’t be easy.

Yet for as long as Cora is helming the ship, they’ll have a chance to win every night. He’s just that good.

Here’s some more of what we learned in this tremendously dramatic victory to begin Boston’s 2025 postseason run.

Max Fried deserved better

On multiple fronts, Yankees ace Max Fried got hosed. The aforementioned decision by Boone to pull him from the game after 102 pitches in the seventh was a case of overmanaging. Nobody was on base, and Fried was cruising. Factor in New York’s shaky bullpen (every time the camera cut to Yankees fans after Fried exited the game, they looked flat-out terrified to see what would happen next), and Fried deserved to be treated like an ace in this moment.

Yet outside of that, Fried got squeezed twice by home plate umpire Junior Valentine, both times coming on what should have been called strike threes against Carlos Narvaez. The first time came in the top of the fourth, when a 3-2 pitch clipped the top corner of the strike zone but was called a ball. It didn’t result in any runs, but it led to Fried throwing 11 extra pitches — high-stress pitches, after an Eaton double — that inning.

The second came in the sixth, when a 2-2 pitch at the top of the zone was called ball three. Narvaez eventually walked on the ninth pitch of his plate appearance. That one hurt less, as Fried induced an inning-ending double play from the next batter, but the added stress contributed to some of the wear on Fried, leading to his early (relatively speaking) exit from the game.

Seeing Fried watch helplessly from the dugout as the bullpen immediately blew the game must have been a nightmare scenario for Yankees fans to endure. Red Sox fans didn’t mind, though.

(Lest there be any confusion, Valentine missed calls on the Red Sox, too. Crochet should have struck out Austin Wells on the sixth pitch of his final at-bat, but overcame the missed call to strike out the catcher two pitches later. And Chapman should have had a 1-2 count on Grisham with two outs in the ninth, but a missed call made it a 2-1 count in Grisham’s favor.)

Garrett Crochet was every bit of the ace you’d want him to be

The numbers are obvious enough: 7.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 11 K. But Crochet was even better than the stat line would indicate.

Outside of leaving one pitch over the heart of the plate to Anthony Volpe in the second, resulting in an opposite-field home run to right field, Crochet was in complete command. And when the bullpen sat empty in the top of the eighth when he was at 100 pitches, it was clear that Cora and everyone else in that dugout was not afraid of the lefty surpassing his season-high of 112 pitches.

Crochet retired 17 straight Yankees before Volpe singled with one out in the eighth. Crochet responded, finishing the outing with triple-digit gas — leaving Austin Wells flabbergasted in the box. It was an appropriate exclamation point on an outstanding postseason debut with the Red Sox.

Cora said after the game that Crochet told him on Monday that the manager would only need to make one phone call to the bullpen in Game 1. Crochet was asked what gave him the confidence to make that proclamation.

“Just being arrogant, to be honest,” Crochet said. “I didn’t actually expect that to be the case. But when he sent me back out there, I was determined to leave it that way.”

As for his mindset after allowing the home run?

“So what?” he said. “Next pitch.”

Don’t forget Trevor Story’s slide

Alex Bregman’s RBI double in the top of the ninth provided a critical insurance run — imagine how much higher the stress levels would have been in the ninth inning if Chapman was only protecting a one-run lead — for the Red Sox. But it was made possible by a veteran decision and slide from Trevor Story.

The shortstop ripped a two-out single into left field, and after David Bednar threw over to first base twice, Story knew he could get an extra step on his jump and try to swipe a bag. He accomplished that task, stealing second and sliding in just ahead of Jazz Chisholm’s tag.

The Yankees challenged, but there was no doubt. Story was safe.

Bregman took a borderline strike two call, fouled off a good splitter on the next pitch, and then squared up the next one to drive that run home.

Bregman and Story, the veterans of this squad, went a combined 4-for-9 with a walk while also handling every ball hit their way. They were steady, and they delivered at a critical moment in the ninth.

The Wilyer Abreu catch was insane

A lot happened in this game, especially at the end. But don’t forget the play that ended the eighth inning.

It was nuts.

When Chapman entered the game in the eighth, he inherited Anthony Volpe on first base. Volpe was literally dancing off first base, knowing that Chapman doesn’t exactly have an elite pickoff move. Chapman did throw over, eventually throwing to first base a third time, which granted Volpe second base on MLB’s three-disengagement rule.

Perhaps Chapman’s head was spinning, or perhaps he did it on purpose so that he wouldn’t have the distraction anymore. Either way, he did his job and induced a lazy fly ball off the bat of Jose Caballeros.

Ceddanne Rafaela, arguably the best center fielder in baseball, drifted to his left and settled under the ball, putting himself in position to make an easy catch by his standards. What Rafaela didn’t know was that Wilyer Abreu was streaking across the field at full speed, heading directly toward him.

Somehow, Abreu not only made the catch but completely avoided making contact with Rafaela, ending the inning and avoiding the disaster that would have followed with the game-tying run crossing the plate. Abreu is the reining Gold Glove winner in right field, so he knows what he’s doing. But that was close.

We’ll find out what the Yankees are made of

The Red Sox showed in Game 1 that they have grit. The world will learn what the Yankees are made of in Game 2.

With only three years of evidence, the loser of Game 1 in the Wild Card Series has always gone to be eliminated. Whether or not that trend continues in this series depends on how New York responds to a gut-punch of a loss in front of their home fans.

Brayan Bello, who went 2-1 with a 1.89 ERA in three starts against the Yankees this year, will be opposed by Carlos Rodon, who went 1-2 with a 5.74 ERA. Five members of New York’s bullpen were used in Game 1, while only Chapman was used out of Boston’s bullpen.

The odds are in Boston’s favor, and it will take an inspiring recovery from the Yankees — something not typically associated with the Aaron Boone era — for the series to live on until Thursday.

Jose Siri, Richard Lovelady, and Kevin Herget elected free agency after being sent outright to Syracuse. 

The trio was DFA’d by the Mets in the closing days of the season to open roster spots. 

After going through waivers unclaimed, New York attempted to send them down to Syracuse, but instead, they all opted to hit the open market.

Siri was acquired in exchange for relief prospect Eric Orze in an offseason deal with the Rays. 

He was expected to split time with Tyrone Taylor in center, but ended up missing the majority of the season due to a fractured tibia suffered when he fouled a ball off his leg against the Athletics. 

The speedster struggled mightily in his return and he was ultimately let go when Taylor made his late-season return from the IL, finishing with just two hits in 32 at-bats as a Met.

Lovelady and Herget were signed to minor league deals, and they were part of the revolving door of bullpen arms.

The lefty Lovelady pitched to a 6.30 ERA across eight outings. 

Herget enjoyed a bit more success, posting a 3.00 ERA over just six appearances. 

In the hours leading up to the Dodgers’ Sept. 10 game against the Colorado Rockies, Dodgers catcher Ben Rortvedt was taking a nap.

After the previous week, it was a well-deserved rest.

A 28-year-old journeyman backstop who’d been traded from the Tampa Bay Rays to the Dodgers at the deadline, Rortvedt was called up from the minors and thrust into emergency duty in the middle of a tight division race. In the span of three days from Sept. 3-5, both Will Smith and Dalton Rushing had been injured. And in Rortvedt’s first three starts with the Dodgers after that, he’d twice helped take a no-hitter into the ninth while offering unexpected contributions with his bat.

“It’s been a whirlwind,” Rortvedt said then. “But this gets you battle-tested.”

By Sept. 10, however, Rortvedt’s time in the majors appeared to be ticking. The previous night, Smith had returned to the lineup a week after taking a foul ball off his throwing hand. Rushing was also working his way back from the injured list after fouling a ball off his leg five days earlier. And in what appeared to be one of his final days on the Dodgers’ big-league roster, Rortvedt went for a pregame nap.

Read more:Dodgers vs. Cincinnati Reds live updates, how to watch, start time and betting odds

When he woke up, everything had suddenly changed.

And three weeks later, he will start behind the plate for the Dodgers in Game 1 of their National League wild card series against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night.

In the lead-up to that Sept. 10 game, Smith’s hand swelled up on him, forcing him to be scratched from the lineup and ultimately go for further testing that revealed a fractured bone where the team initially believed there was only a bruise.

Rushing, meanwhile, never found a groove with his bat or his game-calling upon returning to the active roster a few days later, enduring more rookie growing pains that had plagued him all year.

Rortvedt, on the other hand, just kept on contributing, providing a steady presence behind the plate for the pitching staff, improved defense on balls in the dirt, and subtly useful offense with a .224 batting average and three sacrifice bunts.

It was enough for manager Dave Roberts to effectively name Rortvedt the team’s primary catcher in Smith’s absence, saying he would get the “lion’s share” of playing time if Smith wasn’t back for the start of the playoffs.

And though Smith was included on the Dodgers’ wild-card roster Tuesday, after making enough progress with his hand to take live at-bats during a team workout the night before, he still wasn’t ready to resume full starting duties. For this series, he will likely be only a pinch-hit option off the bench.

Rortvedt, meanwhile, will get playoff starts not even he could have seen coming a month ago.

Read more:'That's why I came here.' Dodgers bet on Blake Snell's potential as a postseason ace

“I’ve just been really grateful to get another chance [in the majors],” Rortvedt said last week. “And a chance like this is an amazing opportunity.”

A former second-round draft pick of the Minnesota Twins coming out of high school in Wisconsin in 2016, Rortvedt has struggled to carve out a consistent major-league role in his nomadic professional career. He made his MLB debut in 2021 with the Twins but hit just .169 over 39 games. He was traded to the New York Yankees the following spring as a minor piece in a Josh Donaldson/Gary Sánchez deal, but spent most of that year injured.

After another disappointing 32-game stint in 2023 with the Yankees, when he hit .118, Rortvedt finally found some success in 2024 following another trade to Tampa Bay. Through mid-May, he was hitting over .300 and earning consistent starts behind the plate. And though his numbers faded the rest of the way, he finally seemed to be cementing his place on a big-league roster, entering this season confident that some offseason swing tweaks would lead to an even stronger year.

“I thought I was in a really good space to have a good year,” Rortvedt said.

Instead, it all fell apart.

In 26 games over the season’s first two months, Rortvedt had just six hits in 63 at-bats. He was relegated to backup duties, then ultimately the minor leagues. In late May, when he was designated for assignment, he traded emotional goodbyes with his Rays teammates on his way out of the clubhouse.

“The beginning of the year was a big down for me,” he said. “I messed around with a little too many things [in my swing], and I never got comfortable coming out of spring training.”

At the trade deadline, Rortvedt was on the move again, getting roped into a three-team deal with — coincidentally — the Dodgers and Reds that saw Los Angeles effectively use him to replace Hunter Feduccia as their third organizational catcher.

“As one door closes, another opens,” Rortvedt said. “And especially with the organization here, with the reputation, the job they do in all aspects of the game, I was extremely grateful to be in this kind of place.”

That didn’t mean his transition over the last month was easy. After being thrust into starting duties, Rortvedt spent most of his hours catching bullpens, talking with the team’s pitchers about their tendencies, and devouring film of the staff each night on his iPad to learn each one’s pitch mix.

“That’s really, really hard,” Dodgers bench coach Danny Lehmann said. “But his personality and the way he goes about things shows that he cares. It’s evident in his work and his meetings and talking to the guys, and putting defense first when he’s supposed to.”

Despite the whiplash nature of his return to the majors, Rortvedt found all-around success.

He has gone 11-for-49 at the plate with two doubles, a home run and an on-base-percentage above .300, posting a higher OPS than Rushing on the year. He has overseen a dominant run from the rotation, with Dodgers pitchers posting a 2.89 ERA in the 18 games he has caught.

“For him being new to the team, he’s just had a really good energy,” Dodgers Game 1 starter Blake Snell said. “He’s been very clutch for us offensively, very clutch for us defensively. I just attribute it to how much he wants to catch and how much he wants to be back there. His excitement, it’s contagious. And it’s helping the pitchers pitch good.”

The Dodgers, of course, are still hoping to get Smith back to full-time starting duties at some point this October. They still have Rushing as a long-term piece of their future puzzle.

But for now, Rortvedt has been the right guy at the right time to help the team navigate its sudden catching problems. And Tuesday night, he’ll get his first playoff start.

“It’s been pretty crazy,” Rortvedt said of his brief but influential Dodgers tenure. “But it’s definitely been better than sitting around.”

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

There’s a lot to unpack regarding the New York Rangers’ decision to send Brennan Othmann down to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League. 

It feels as if Othmann has been knocking at the door to make the Rangers’ roster for a couple of years now. 

Last year, Othmann was one of the Rangers’ last roster cuts, as he was close to making the Rangers’ opening-night roster. 

After getting a 22-game audition with the Rangers during the 2024-25 campaign, he came to rookie camp this year with the hopes of earning a permanent NHL spot. 

Upon speaking to Othmann for the first time since April, he emphasized that he’s in a better mental space and was feeling much more confident after a full offseason training with other NHL players. 

Othmann’s newfound confidence and mentality unfortunately, did not translate to his play on the ice. 

The 2021 first-round pick struggled to make a strong impression through training camp and four preseason games. 

It wasn’t that Othmann performed at an unfathomable level, but it was more about what he didn’t do and the little things he needs to fix before taking the jump as a regular NHL player.

Mike Sullivan feels there are a couple of small aspects on the ice that Othmann still needs to unlock in order to earn a spot with the Rangers. 

“We've had a number of discussions around what that pathway might look like for him to carve a role on the New York Rangers,” Sullivan said. “A lot of the discussion we had just talked about conscientious play, attention to detail, defensively, away from the puck, playing within structure, having some predictability and reliability and dependability around his game. 

“I think if he can add more detail around those things, essentially that’s what it boils down to. It’s attention to detail in all zones, in particular on the defensive side of the puck. Those are the conversations I’ve had with Otter over the past little while.”

Over the course of training camp, Otthmann began falling behind players on the depth chart he was directly competing with for a roster spot, including Gabe Perreault and Brett Berard. 

It was quickly becoming evident that the 22-year-old forward would get sent down to Hartford, and those assumptions ultimately became a reality, even sooner than many people originally anticipated. 

Brennan Othmann Sent Down To Hartford Wolf Pack Brennan Othmann has been sent down to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League, as he will not make the New York Rangers’ opening-night roster. 

Despite being set down, Sullivan made clear that there’s still a pathway for Otthmann to work his way back up. 

“I said to Otter, ‘just because this decision was made today doesn't mean that there is finality to it and that the opportunity no longer exists, it very much exists and will continue to exist,’ and we will continue to work with Otter.” said Sullivan. 

What is next for Otthmann?

Now he’ll likely play a top-line role for the Wolf Pack, where he’ll be put in a position to thrive and showcase his skills. 

It isn’t necessarily what he may have wanted, but starting the season in the AHL could be positive for his overall development. 

Only time will tell what the future holds for Otthmann, but he has a chip on his shoulder going into the 2025-26 campaign to show the Rangers brass what he is truly capable of.

Aaron Boone broke down some of the key decisions made ahead of the Yankees' Game 1 meeting with the Boston Red Sox in the Wild Card round….

Why Warren cracked the roster

Will Warren won’t be needed as a starter during this best-of-three series with the division rival Sox, but the Yanks still elected to leave him on the 26-man roster. 

Boone expects that he could be used in a number of different roles during this set.

“There’s some pockets where he could be really effective for us,” the skipper said. “It might be in the short-verse, it might be in the situation where we need some length from him, it might be in extra innings where you’re out of pitching and you have to roll. 

“He’s pitched really effectively for us all year. He’s on his fourth day today so most of the series he should be in pretty good shape to be able to give us whatever we need.”

The 26-year-old pitched to a 4.44 ERA and 1.37 WHIP while making a career-high 33 starts this season. 

He has just one big-league appearance out of the bullpen to this point. 

Goldy gets the start over Rice

Ben Rice has been red hot, but Boone elected to sit him in favor of Paul Goldschmidt with ace southpaw Garrett Crochet taking the bump in the series opener. 

Though Yanks fans would love to see the sweet-swinging Rice in there, Boone says it was an easy call turning to the veteran Goldschmidt, who has a .981 OPS against lefties this year.

“Goldy is going to play against every lefty we face,” he said. “Ben is obviously a huge part of our offense and is having a phenomenal year and he’s been hot, but part of that is he’s faced the people he should be facing.

“He’ll be back in there tomorrow against [Brayan] Bello, and obviously we have a really good chip over there sitting on the bench to use in a big spot as well.”

Rice finished with 26 homers and a .836 OPS during his breakout season. 

Chisholm good to go

Jazz Chisholm is in the clear after leaving the season finale following a tough hit-by-pitch on the left forearm. 

Like Rice, though, he is sitting in the series opener with the tough southpaw on the mound. 

Amed Rosario, who has great numbers in his career against Crochet, jumps into the lineup in his place. 

Boone didn't rule out turning to Chisholm early if the opportunity were to arise, though. 

“I wouldn’t hesitate to use Jazz, he could be in this game early,” he said. “But yeah, as tough as Crochet is, he has been especially tough on lefties this year. There really is no good matchup, but Amed has good history with him, he’s hit him well and has faced him a lot this year. 

"We just wanted to get another right-handed bat in there, but Jazz is good to go and he’ll be ready.”

Rosario is 6-for-9 with a homer in his career against Crochet. 

He hit .298 with a .336 OBP and .800 OPS versus lefties this season.

Do the MLB playoffs reseed teams? How the Division Series bracket will take shape originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

A few MLB playoff teams can sit back, relax and enjoy the opening round of the 2025 postseason.

The top two clubs in the American and National Leagues earned byes for the Wild Card Series and automatically qualified for the Division Series.

The No. 1-seeded Toronto Blue Jays and No. 2 Seattle Mariners will begin the playoffs in the ALDS, while the No. 1 Milwaukee Brewers and No. 2 Philadelphia Phillies clinched NLDS berths.

So, who could the Blue Jays, Mariners, Brewers and Phillies draw first this postseason? Here’s how the Division Series bracket will take shape:

Do the MLB playoffs reseed teams?

The MLB playoffs follow a bracket format and do not reseed teams. That means, for example, the top-seeded Blue Jays will face the winner of the No. 4 New York Yankees-No. 5 Boston Red Sox series even if the No. 6-seeded Detroit Tigers were to advance.

What is the Division Series bracket in the 2025 MLB playoffs?

Here’s a look at the Division Series bracket possibilities:

American League

• No. 2 Seattle Mariners vs. No. 3 Cleveland Guardians/No. 6 Detroit Tigers
• No. 1 Toronto Blue Jays vs. No. 4 New York Yankees/No. 5 Boston Red Sox

National League

• No. 2 Philadelphia Phillies vs. No. 3 Los Angeles Dodgers/No. 6 Cincinnati Reds
• No. 1 Milwaukee Brewers vs. No. 4 Chicago Cubs/No. 5 San Diego Padres

How many games are in the Wild Card Series?

The first round of the MLB playoffs features a best-of-three format where the higher seed has home-field advantage for the entire series.

How many games are in the Division Series?

The postseason then moves to a best-of-five format for the Division Series. The higher seed has home-field advantage for Games 1, 2 and, if necessary, 5.

When do the 2025 ALDS, NLDS start?

All four Division Series are slated to begin Saturday, Oct. 4.