Category: Baseball

Red Sox manager Chad Tracy did it again.

With the team down in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series against the Yankees and Sonny Gray on the mound, Tracy pulled his AL Cy Young contender and it immediately backfired.

But unlike Game 1's decision to take Payton Tolle out of a tight contest, Wednesday night's move was arguably worse.

Gray had only thrown 70 pitches through 4.2 innings when the Red Sox skipper came out of the dugout. Down 1-0, the right-hander had just given up a single to Ben Rice, putting runners on the corners with two outs. Tracy went to left-hander Erik Miller to handle the left-handed Cody Bellinger. 

Miller replaced Tolle in Game 1 and gave up a solo shot to Rice that energized the Yankees' offense. On Wednesday, Miller allowed an RBI single to Bellinger, once again putting the Yankees up 2-0 and energizing the offense.

"We're trailing. We're struggling to score runs. And when you get in spots where struggling to score runs and you're already trailing, you feel like you've got to be aggressive and go," Tracy explained after the 9-2 loss. "So they're getting back to the top part of the lineup. They get a couple of hits against them. See if you can put it out. And if you can put it out, you know, kind of lined up to where we want it to go. And that just didn't work."

Tracy said he was aware of Bellinger's reverse splits -- Bellinger batter .274 against lefties as opposed to .259 against right-handers -- but he reiterated his confidence in his bullpen's ability after a stellar season. 

"With [Garret] Crochet, [Garret Whitlock] and [Aroldis Chapman] towards the back end there, and they were able to string a bunch of hits and we couldn't stop the bleeding there," he said. "It was pretty obvious that we were going to be aggressive in using that group. Like I said, they swung the bats. Didn't work out."

After the Red Sox escaped the fifth being down just two runs, Crochet and Whitlock imploded, allowing seven runs across the next two innings, including a six-spot in the sixth that put the game out of reach. 

But the strongest sentiments surrounding Tracy's decision came from Gray himself.

The veteran right-hander was visibly frustrated with the move and voiced it after the game. 

"I think I’m the best pitcher in the American League going through the order a third time. That’s a fact," Gray said. "I would have liked to have lived or died in that moment. But that’s the competitor that I am. You can ask the guys and they felt the same way. I felt strong. I felt confident, felt convicted. What can you do, you know?"

Reporters did ask Gray's teammates, including Willson Contreras, who didn't give a response when asked his thoughts about Gray being pulled. The first baseman simply did a zipped-mouth gesture. 

But had plenty to say when asked how the team could be better next season.

"It's not enough when you have talent, or you have data, or computers that are telling you what to do. This is baseball," Contreras said. "The data is here to help us...but you need experience and to bet on the guys to win games."

The 36-year-old had an incredible regular season. He finished with an 18-5 record and a 2.72 ERA. 

He had retired nine of his first 11 batters before surrendering a go-ahead solo homer to Luis García Jr. in the fourth inning. And although he bent a bit in the fifth, he felt he could have gotten out of the inning.

"I would have liked to have been trusted in that moment," he said.

"I'm the best pitcher in the American League going through the order for a third time. I would've liked to live or die with me in that moment...ask the guys in here if they felt the same way. I felt strong, confident."

Sonny Gray on getting pulled in the 5th inning tonight: pic.twitter.com/ik7LOvDkeA

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) October 1, 2026

The Yankees’ offense needed to get something going in Wednesday's Game 2. 

While they carried their lead over the Red Sox heading into the bottom of the sixth, Boston had just cut the deficit in half and was turning things over to ace Garrett Crochet in relief. 

The left-hander showed no ill effects making his first appearance since April 25 due to shoulder inflammation, setting Spencer Jones down on a nasty sweeper out of the zone. 

That breaking ball danced far enough away from catcher Adley Rutschman, though, allowing Jones to book it down the first base line. 

Rutschman took too long to get the ball and first baseman Willson Contreras caught it on the back, rather than the front, part of the bag, allowing Jones to beat out the bang-bang play (after review).

Jones continued causing havoc on the bases from there, as he quickly stole second and then made his way over to third on a poor Rutschman throw into shallow center. 

Fellow rookie George Lombard Jr. singled him home a few pitches later. 

“Across the game there are errors, there are things you can’t control, ” Crochet said. “You choose how you respond -- I got behind 2-0 to Lombard, I came back in the count, didn’t put him away but executed the pitch, that’s kind of the game.”

From there, the Yanks quickly loaded the bases and ended the left-hander's return. 

New York manufactured two more runs before Cody Bellinger delivered the big blow, lifting a three-run shot over the right-center fence to make it a 7-1 ballgame. 

While it goes down as a K in the books, it was Jones’ wheels that got the Yanks going, en route to the sweep-clinching commanding victory. 

“That was great hustle,” Bellinger said. “Baseball is such a crazy game, anytime you can get on base, that was really impressive and really lit a fire in our dugout, for sure.”

It took seven seasons and 751 regular-season games for Luis García Jr. to get his first shot as a starter in a playoff game. 

It then took all of two at-bats Wednesday for the slugger to make it count. 

García, who had spent his career with the Nationals until the trade deadline and had never played a postseason game before pinch hitting Tuesday, earned the start a night later and immediately demonstrated why he always is in the lineup against opposing right-handers. 

The ice-breaking swing of what would become a 9-2, going-away blowout of the Red Sox to clinch the wild-card series belonged to García, who made sure his first trip to October (or technically late September) would be memorable. 

In a scoreless game in the fourth inning with former Yankee Sonny Gray dealing, García stepped to the plate and stepped up. He got a 1-2 sweeper that was not poorly located — right at the bottom of the strike zone — but showed off a violent swing and rare power, clubbing the pitch 387 feet into the bleachers in right-center to begin another strong night for the Yankees offense. 

When the Yankees traded for García, the fit did not look natural. He was another first baseman on a team that had two (Ben Rice and Paul Goldschmidt) or maybe a DH on a team that was awaiting a return from its DH (Giancarlo Stanton). 

But a swing like García’s, which produced 30 total homers this season and seven after the trade, will be shoehorned into lineups regardless. And further injuries, such as another calf strain to Stanton, ensured García would be a factor either way. 

While sitting against lefty Payton Tolle on Tuesday, García looked around and breathed in an atmosphere he had never experienced before. 

“The experience is very different, actually — just seeing the atmosphere around the ballpark, the fans standing from pitch one all the way to the end, very different,” García said Wednesday afternoon through interpreter Marlon Abreu. “At the same time, very exciting. You can feel the excitement in the air.” 

Also in the air was a home run and a pair of singles in the fifth and sixth innings, including a rare left-on-left knock against Erik Miller on a play that ended with Ben Rice gunned down at the plate. 

Given a chance — a first in the series and a first in his career — García did some of everything to ensure he would have more playoff chances this weekend.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. didn’t play in Game 1 of the wild-card series against the Red Sox, the latest setback in what’s been a trying year for the second baseman. 

But as with any player, the narrative of a season can change quickly this time of year, and Chisholm is looking to do just that. 

“We’re moving on,’’ Chisholm said after the Yankees beat Boston 9-2 in Game 2 on Wednesday in The Bronx to clinch a spot in the ALDS against the Rays. 

“I didn’t care if I played or not today, as long as we win,’’ Chisholm said. “[Aaron] Boone’s done a great job. I always think my manager has done a great job, especially when we’re winning.” 

Chisholm did his part after a year in which he put up career-worst numbers at the plate, had mental lapses in the field and was part of the infamous Blow Pop controversy while playing second base in a June game in Detroit. 

And then Red Sox radio voice Will Flemming called the second baseman a “bush-league player” for stealing second and third base in a blowout win over Boston on Aug. 31. 

Flemming later apologized, but Chisholm doesn’t seem to have forgotten, as he capped his productive return to the lineup by running wild on the bases again in the seventh inning of a lopsided win. 

“I just wanted to keep things going,’’ Chisholm said. “No lead is safe in baseball and I’m just here to win. If [Flemming] wants to hate, he can hate.” 

On this night, though, Chisholm had bigger goals, like advancing in the postseason. 

After seeing Anthony Volpe get the nod at second Wednesday, Chisholm had a fantastic catch in shallow center — with his back to the infield — to rob Adley Rutschman of a hit in the sixth. 

“I practice that play almost every day,’’ Chisholm said. 

And then he contributed to a rally in the bottom of the inning with a single, his second on a 2-for-3 night. 

And with the game well in hand in the seventh, he walked, swiped second base standing up, then swiped third and scored on an Austin Wells single. 

Before the game, Boone said he debated starting Volpe and Chisholm in each of the first two games before splitting them. 

“Both days, I’ve considered it, absolutely,’’ Boone said. “Anthony’s come up and done a really good job. He did a really good job when he went down [to the minors] of just getting to work and creating that versatility for himself. He’s come up and performed well and played well. But I also feel like Jazz is an important part of this, especially moving forward. And we’re going to need both guys to win big. Ultimately, that’s where I fell on it.” 

There were some people in the organization who preferred Volpe’s steadiness over Chisholm’s potential explosiveness. 

And over his final 18 games of the regular season — which was interrupted by an injured-list stint because of a sprained right thumb — Chisholm heated up at the plate, with a .939 OPS. 

He also led the Yankees with 41 stolen bases this year. 

Chisholm showed his value in the postseason last year, when he didn’t start in Game 1 of the wild-card series but responded by scoring from first base on a Wells single in Game 2 and adding a pair of hits in the Game 3-clinching win. 

With the Yankees headed to the ALDS to face Tampa Bay, Boone will have plenty of lineup decisions to make. 

Few will likely be more impactful than second base, where Volpe has looked solid despite a lack of experience at the position, but Chisholm offers more offense against righty pitching. 

It’s not a position battle many would have seen coming as recently as three weeks ago, when Volpe made his first start in the majors at second. 

But this is not your ordinary Yankees team, not with Aaron Judge out with a calf injury, and rookies at shortstop and in center field. 

And Chisholm is not your ordinary second baseman. 

Well it’s here, the terrifying game 3 to decide whether the Braves’ season is over and against a division rival. They’ll have to go into it facing likely Zack Wheeler and without a true starting pitcher of their own. It is expected that Grant Holmes will play a major role and that Ray Kerr will have a role to play as a good matchup for the lefties at the top of Philly’s lineup before the back of the bullpen can take over. A lack of offseason/trade deadline starter additions plus a plague of injuries and prospects not taking the leap led us here to the Braves having no answer for a game 3 starting pitcher despite having the luxury of lining their staff up for this series. If they win this issue won’t go away and if they lose it will be discussed for months of what could be a long offseason. Buckle up. Meanwhile, their one big starter addition in Tyler Mahle has given them more than they could have reasonably expected with two months of great pitching after the deadline and 7.0 innings of one run ball in game 2. He might be a good one to bring back to Atlanta.

Braves News

Walt Weiss discussed game 2 with the press after the fact, including in-game management and Tyler Mahle.

Tyler Mahle was great, but a lack of homers and a faltering bullpen lost the Braves game 2, sending them to a terrifying all-or-nothing game 3.

MLB News

The Cinderella White Sox booked their spot in the ALDS in what is a wide-open AL this year, eliminating the Astros.

The Yankees followed suit, blowing out their rival Red Sox.

The Padres are leading the Cubs at the time of writing, but their result will determine the timing of the Braves’ game 3. A Padres win send the Braves and Phils to primetime, but a Cubs win relegates them to their typical 2pm timeslot for this Wild-Card round.

Chicago White Sox rookie Munetaka Murakami has become a fan-favorite in his first season playing in Major League Baseball, and added another memorable moment to his resume after his team swept the Houston Astros in the AL wild card series.

Everybody loved Murakami's interview when the White Sox clinched a spot in the MLB playoffs a week earlier, so the 26-year-old took it to a new level in the alcohol-soaked clubhouse in Houston, answering questions in English while declaring himself – and his interpreter – to be drunk.

Murakami hit 35 home runs in the regular season after coming over from Japan, an incredibly impressive rookie campaign for the slugger and went 1-for-8 with two runs in Chicago's wins over the Astros.

The White Sox will face the Cleveland Guardians in the best-of-five AL Division series beginning on Saturday.

When you're celebrating a MLB Postseason victory 21 YEARS in the making, who needs a translator? ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/MoRtoLbZid

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) October 1, 2026

The Yankees have always insisted Spencer Jones was more than just a power hitter. 

They also praised his quickness and athleticism. 

It was that latter part that was on display in Wednesday’s Game 2 wild-card-clinching 9-2 win in The Bronx. 

With the Yankees clinging to a two-run lead, Jones led off the bottom of the sixth against Garrett Crochet, one of the game’s premier lefty pitchers, just coming back from a five-month absence because of a shoulder injury. 

Jones whiffed, but Crochet badly bounced the third strike, and it got away from Adley Rutschman. 

Jones hustled down the line, and after initially being ruled out, reached first when the call was overturned. 

“When he gets it going, he can really go,’’ Aaron Boone said. 

The 6-foot-7 Jones then attempted to steal second, and Rutschman’s throw went into center, allowing Jones to get to third. 

With the infield in, fellow rookie George Lombard Jr. drove in Jones with a single to spark a six-run inning. 

“Speed is something I’ve always had,’’ Jones said. “I’m glad it worked out. It was a fun night.” 

There have been a few of those lately for the 25-year-old, who has contributed in numerous ways down the stretch after getting off to a 4-for-24 start with 12 strikeouts in his first 10 games in the majors. 

When Jones returned to The Bronx later in the season, he had improved his approach at the plate and showed he could hit in the majors. 

Jim Hendry, special assistant to GM Brian Cashman — who was among the Yankee scouts who evaluated Jones while he was at Vanderbilt — said the fast development shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. 

“Big guys like that, it takes them longer to adjust,’’ Hendry said prior to the game. “Sure, they’re gonna strike out a lot. They’ve got more holes to figure out how to fix. But you know when they do, they can be special.” 

As Hendry noted, the Yankees “have always liked big players.” 

Still, there aren’t many examples of players Jones’ size hitting well, with Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton being two exceptions. 

Jones is trying to become another, and the Yankees have seen some promising signs in the second half of the season. 

As they’ve dealt with the lengthy absence of Judge because of rib and calf injuries, multiple injuries to Trent Grisham, as well as another disappointing season from Jasson Domínguez, Jones has been thrust into an important role. 

In Game 1, the Yankees went with the lefty-swinging Jones against left-hander Payton Tolle. 

He had a pair of solid at-bats against Tolle, and Aaron Boone said Wednesday that he considered having Giancarlo Stanton pinch hit for Jones to lead off the bottom of the seventh against another southpaw, Alec Gamboa. 

Instead, Boone stayed with Jones, who singled. 

Among the reasons Boone stuck with Jones was the success he’d had versus lefties in the majors — just part of what’s developing into a well-rounded game for the former first-round pick. 

“It’s hard in the modern game to hit when you’re 6-foot-7,’’ Hendry said. “But when you do it well, you don’t have to worry about launch and other things. When you’re that big, the ball lifts itself. He’s still got a lot of work to do, but he’s becoming a good player already.”

There were reasons for Cody Bellinger to feel disrespected, even if he publicly shrugged off both. 

The Red Sox wanted to pitch to a slugging outfielder who had been signed to a $162.5 million contract this winter. With two outs in the sixth inning and Trent Grisham on second base, Boston intentionally walked Ben Rice to take its chances with Bellinger. 

And after Bellinger reached out and got just enough juice behind a Garrett Whitlock changeup for a three-run home run, he slowly trotted around the bases in a fashion that hinted he may have noticed Boston’s Willson Contreras had done the same in the top of the inning. 

Regardless of the motivations, Bellinger’s execution was flawless in turning a close game lopsided, his blast the last that mattered in what became a 9-2 smacking of the Red Sox to clinch the wild-card series Wednesday in The Bronx and earn a date with the Rays in the ALDS. 

Chad Tracy and the Red Sox had reason to prefer facing Bellinger in what was then a game they trailed, 5-1, simply because Bellinger was not Rice. A night earlier, the Yankees first baseman/DH was unstoppable in going 4-for-5 with a pair of home runs and six RBIs. And in his previous at-bat Wednesday, Rice had stroked a single through the right side. 

And so it was Bellinger whom the Red Sox chose, though the veteran said he did not take the decision personally. 

“I had a feeling that they might do that,” Bellinger said in a clubhouse filled with puddles of beer. “I think when you hit behind [Aaron] Judge so often, you just get used to it.” 

If he were not especially inspired, he instead was just himself: a good hitter who got under the Whitlock changeup, lifting it high enough that there was no doubt it would be a home run or an out at the wall. He did not know if he got enough. 

He did, with an assist to Yankee Stadium, the only ballpark in which that ball would leave the yard. 

“I enjoyed it. That was a cool moment,” said Bellinger, who enjoyed an unusually slow trot around the bases. 

He walked, then slow-jogged to first, saw it land in the stands 360 feet away just beyond the reach of Wilyer Abreu, and then saw no reason to speed up. 

Just a few minutes earlier, Contreras had popped a home run for the Red Sox’s first run of the series and ran as if he wanted Boston to savor every moment of the drought-stopper. The trot was officially clocked at 30.09 seconds. 

“I didn’t even see [Contreras’ trot],” said Bellinger, sidestepping any notion of pettiness. 

Regardless, in a series in which the Yankees beat the Red Sox in every way imaginable, this possible battle of pettiness went to the Yankees too: Bellinger slogged around the bases absorbing the cheers just a bit longer at 31.29 seconds.

Let’s not beat around the bush—the Yankees didn’t. You could not have scripted a better two games than the pair the Bronx Bombers produced in this season’s Wild Card series rematch with the Red Sox. In both games, magnificent starting pitching blazed a trail through which the lineup ably followed. In both games, a late home run provided the thumb in the eye to their archrivals the hometown crowd was seeking. The Yankees are headed to the Sunshine State, thanks to one of the more complete dismantlings of the Red Sox we’ve seen in recent years: a 9-2 masterpiece which was even more lopsided than the scoreline suggested.

There was one notable diversion from the Tuesday night blueprint. While Game 1 was something of a story of individual performances—with Cam Schlittler’s incredible start and Ben Rice’s historic night at the plate—Game 2 saw contributions from all across the lineup. Max Fried was brilliant, yes, but the plate production was remarkably balanced. Every batter who started the game got a hit, and five players drove in a run. And best of all, the Red Sox headed home with just two runs and eight total hits for their troubles. They’ll watch from the couch as the Yankees advance with burning eyes toward the top-seeded Rays.

The first parallel to Game 1 was the impressive starting pitching that got us underway. Max Fried struck out the first two Red Sox he faced, freezing Adley Rutschman on a picturesque changeup. Rutschman had tested the left field foul pole on his previous swing, but it hooked wide. Sonny Gray replied with an equally tidy start, getting Ben Rice to flail over top of a sweeper and setting down the top of the Yankee order quickly.

From there, the tennis rally from the two starters continued. Fried replied with a seven-pitch second, Gray worked around a two-out infield single. Fried navigated a hustle double (aided by a rather lackadaisical effort in center field from Trent Grisham) to put up another zero, Gray gave up a little bleeder of a hit to Ryan McMahon but nothing else. Suddenly we were already in the bottom of the fourth inning, still scoreless.

About an hour and five minutes into the affair, we finally got our first loud sound. It came off the bat of Luis García Jr. Sonny Gray’s 1-2 slider caught too much plate and ran into García’s barrel—he scorched it 107 mph to the short porch in right for a 1-0 Yankee lead.

Spencer Jones followed up with a broken bat single to left, but Gray was ultimately able to retire the side on a double play ball. Fried though, just like in last year’s Wild Card opener, buckled down with the narrow lead. He sandwiched a lazy pop between two more strikeouts, giving him six on the evening as we reached the midway mark.

The Bombers managed to chase Gray from the game in the bottom of the fifth when a base hit from Rice set up first and third with two men out. The Red Sox made the highly sensible decision to bring in lefty reliever Erik Miller to face Cody Bellinger. The only problem with that logic is the fact that Cody Bellinger is one of the best left-on-left hitters in baseball. He rewarded manager Chad Tracy’s decision with a base hit to right field, scoring Austin Wells for a 2-0 Yankee lead.

From there, New York had an opportunity to put Boston on the ropes. Garcia came in and roped a hard single to left, which should have loaded the bases for Spencer Jones. Unfortunately, third base coach Luis Rojas decided to send Rice to the plate—even though left fielder Nate Eaton had the ball in his glove by the time Rice hit the bag at third. The result was predictable: Eaton’s throw came home well ahead of the runner, and Ben was dead meat at home.

Rojas’ poor decision loomed larger in the top of the sixth inning when Max Fried, a strike away from completing another scoreless frame, just got beat. Willson Contreras stayed back on a payoff fastball above the zone and belted it out to right field for a home run, snapping Boston’s 26.2-inning postseason scoreless streak. Credit to Max, he got the final out soon after and departed with the lead intact. He finished with just three hits and one walk against six strikeouts. It was more than good enough to deliver the Yankees a victory, if his offense could help him out a little more.

It all began with a strikeout.

Garrett Crochet, in keeping with an early Wild Card round theme across the league, made his first appearance in a ballgame since hitting the injured list back in April. I was actually at the last start Crochet made: he made quick work of the Orioles over six innings. Boston scored 10 runs in the ninth inning to win 17-1. Alex Cora was fired as Red Sox manager the next day.

Crochet started his comeback outing by getting Spencer Jones to chase on a pitch well below the strike zone. But the ball would not behave, darting away from Rutschman. Jones burst out of the box, and was initially called out on the 2-3 putout, but Aaron Boone quickly challenged, and the replay revealed that Jones was safe. From there, the Yankees sensed their moment.

George Lombard Jr. came up next. Jones waited for Crochet to deliver to the plate, and made a mad dash for second. Rutschman’s throw slipped past Trevor Story and rolled into center field, allowing Jones to pop right back up and dig for third. So if you’re keeping track, that’s three free bases awarded to Jones by the Red Sox catcher. Lombard quickly gave him a fourth with an opposite field single, getting the run back and bringing the Yankee crowd to a roar.

Crochet was fully rattled now. He gave up another hit, this time to Jazz Chisholm Jr., then watched as Trent Grisham dropped a perfect bunt and beat the throw to first, loading the bases with nobody out. With Austin Wells due to hit next, Tracy ended the experiment, calling for Garrett Whitlock in an attempt to staunch the wound.

But the Yankees’ wheels were in motion, and their wagon would stop for no man. Austin Wells, who has worked tons of productive at-bats this series, provided yet another by adding a sac fly for a 4-1 score. McMahon followed with a ground ball to short, hit in such a spot and at such a velocity that another run could easily score; 5-1 Yankees. Then, on a night in which Clay Bellinger threw the ceremonial first pitch, up came Cody.

Whitlock probably felt he was fairly close to a livable scenario, having traded two runs for two outs. But his 1-0 changeup caught a big chunk of the strike zone, and Bellinger was ready to attack. His fly ball to right drifted out toward the short porch. Wilyer Abreu tracked back, back, back… and watched as it landed in the second row.

Like Rice’s grand slam the night before, the Yankees had found their knockout punch by way of the long ball. New York batted around in a six-run sixth inning. Shell-shock in the third base dugout; pandemonium at River Ave.

Even the Red Sox’ feeble comeback efforts were met with a quick response. Nick Sogard took Will Warren deep for a solo home run in the top of the seventh, so the Yankees got right back to work, with yet another quality at-bat from Wells culminating in a run-scoring single, shifting the scoreboard to 9-2. Whitlock, once the one that got away, was the one who allowed the Yankees to get away once and for all tonight.

Aaron Boone gave the back end of his bullpen some tune-up work as they prepared for the flight to Tampa Bay. Brent Headrick finished up the eighth in relief of Warren, then David Bednar came on for the ninth inning. The Red Sox managed one more baserunner on a walk to Contreras, but their time was up. Bednar struck out Caleb Durbin for the 27th out as the Yankees, in far less stressful fashion this time, eliminated the Red Sox in the Wild Card for the second consecutive year.

The Bombers will look to keep the tremendous momentum they built in this short series rocking into Tropicana Field. Game 1 of the ALDS will be on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Gerrit Cole, the presumptive Game 3 starter against Boston, will likely start Game 1 against Rays ace Drew Rasmussen. TBS will have the call. Enjoy this one, Yankees fans, and we’ll see you this weekend.

Box Score

Heroes, zeros and the inside pitch from the Yankees’ 9-2 rout of the Red Sox in Game 2 of the wild-card series:

Hero

For a second straight night, a Yankees starting pitcher shut down the Red Sox. This time, it was Max Fried tossing six innings of one-run ball, a day after Cam Schlittler’s brilliance.

Zero

Boston manager Chad Tracy lamented his team’s struggles on offense before the game, and they continued in the defeat, as they were held scoreless until the sixth inning.

Unsung hero

After Luis García Jr. went deep to give the Yankees the lead in the fourth, it was Cody Bellinger’s three-run shot in the sixth that sealed the win in another lopsided victory.

Key stat

26 ⅔: Just how bad was Boston’s lineup? Dating back to last year’s wild-card series, they went the equivalent of nearly three full games without scoring in the postseason.

Quote of the night

“I feel like I was able to enjoy that one. Just a home game in Yankee Stadium. It’s a really fun atmosphere. It’s fun to play. And hopefully we get many, many more this month,’’

— Bellinger of his game-clinching homer

Max Fried threw six strong innings, and Luis García Jr. and Cody Bellinger slammed home runs Wednesday night as the Yankees blew out the Red Sox, 9-2, in Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium.

The victory means the Yanks won the best-of-three series against Boston, 2-0. Now they head into an AL Division Series date with the top-seeded Tampa Bay Rays. This DS, which features the AL’s two best teams, starts on Saturday at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. 

After the final out, the Yankees met on the field in a handshake line, a mellow celebration of a convincing beatdown of their rivals.

The Red Sox season is over. New York has eliminated Boston in the Wild Card round in each of the last two years. 

Here are the takeaways...

-- Even without the injured Aaron Judge, the Yankees lineup pounded Boston pitching, scoring nine runs in the opener and nine more times in Game 2. The Yanks outscored Boston in the series, 18-2, and outhit the Sox, 26-7.

-- Fried threw 21 pitches in the first inning but quickly got his workload in order with a seven-pitch second. He didn’t encounter much trouble all night in allowing just three hits, including a solo homer by Willson Contreras. He relied mainly on his sweeper, cutter and four-seam fastball, though he threw three other pitch types, too. Fried struck out six and walked one in earning the third postseason win of his career.

-- García, who did not start Game 1 because the Red Sox had a lefty starter, gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning with a drive to right that was clocked at 107 miles-per-hour off the bat. Entering the game, García and Ben Rice were the only players on the Yankees roster who had hit a home run off Gray in their careers. García may have been an imperfect trade acquisition because a right-handed slugger might have fit the Yankees better, but he’s contributed all through his time in pinstripes and now in the postseason, too.

-- The Yanks tacked on in the fifth inning and might have had more if they had been more conservative on the basepaths. With two outs and Austin Wells running from first on a 3-2 pitch, Rice hit a grounder through to right field. Wells sprinted to third, putting the Yanks in a strong spot. That’s when Boston manager Chad Tracy yanked Gray and brought in lefty Erik Miller to face Bellinger. Bellinger hit an RBI single for a 2-0 lead, and García followed with a single to left. But third-base coach Luis Rojas had Rice try to score from second, and Nate Eaton cut him down at the plate, keeping the Red Sox just two runs behind.

-- Gray, who had a brief, unsuccessful stint with the Yankees across 2017-18, threw 4.2 innings and allowed six hits and two runs. He was booed by the sellout crowd of 49,004 on his way off the mound. But Yankee fans probably should be happy that the Sox took him out, because the Beantown relievers could not keep the score reasonable.

-- With two outs in the sixth inning, Contreras brought Boston within one run with his fourth career postseason homer that snapped the Red Sox’s playoff scoring drought of 26.2 innings dating back to last year. It’s the worst drought in team history. The homer, which came on a 3-2 pitch, was reviewed by umpires because a fan caught it near the wall in right, but it was upheld.

-- The Yankees broke open the game in their half of the sixth inning, scoring six times to go up, 8-1. George Lombard Jr. drove in a run with a single for his first career postseason RBI, Wells hit a sac fly, Ryan McMahon hit an RBI grounder and then Bellinger delivered his 11th career postseason home run, a three-run shot. Along the way, the Yanks knocked out Garrett Crochet, the ace starter who the Red Sox put in their bullpen for the playoffs. He had not pitched since April 25 because of a shoulder injury and perhaps it showed. He struck out the first batter he faced, Spencer Jones, but Jones reached first on a dropped third strike and then stole second and went to third on Adley Rutschman’s throwing error. Then Crochet gave up three straight singles, including a bunt hit by Trent Grisham, resulting in a run and loading the bases and the inning went haywire.

-- In the seventh inning, Jazz Chisholm Jr. stole a base, a nifty callback to August, when a Red Sox broadcaster criticized Chisholm for stealing a bag in a lopsided game. He and Grisham then pulled a double steal to put runners on second and third with one out. Wells followed with an RBI single to push the lead to 9-2. It was Wells’ fourth RBI of the series.

-- Here’s something to tuck away for later in the playoffs: The Red Sox challenged Grisham in center in the third when a bloop hit fell in front of him. Eaton sped into second base for a hustle double, easily beating Grisham’s throw. It ended up being harmless – Fried struck out Jahmai Jones looking on a sweeper and retired Rutschman on a grounder to end the inning – unless, that is, other teams take advantage if there are similar opportunities going forward.

Game MVP: Luis Garcia Jr.

García Jr., who got the scoring started in the fourth inning with his first career postseason home run, a 387-foot solo shot off Boston starter Sonny Gray. He added two singles and finished 3-for-5 on the night.

Highlights

Luis Garcia Jr. home run! 1-0 Yankees lead!! pic.twitter.com/m33ErQtpLW

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) October 1, 2026

Cody Bellinger singles and brings Austin Wells home! pic.twitter.com/sY7XSDGwqz

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) October 1, 2026

George Lombard Jr. drives Spencer Jones home!! pic.twitter.com/cxnjqGu4JQ

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) October 1, 2026

An Austin Wells sac-fly makes it 4-1! George Lombard Jr. scores! pic.twitter.com/An21H3U5Lj

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) October 1, 2026

Now Ryan McMahon drives in Jazz Chisholm Jr.! https://t.co/6dgohOjfPv

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) October 1, 2026

CODY BELLINGER 3-RUN HOMER!

YANKEES LEAD 8-1! pic.twitter.com/7yFa4aIyz5

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) October 1, 2026

What's next

The Yankees will now travel to St. Petersburg to start a best-of-five series with the Tampa Bay Rays. 

Game 1 is set for Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

The Red Sox just got eliminated by their biggest rivals for the second consecutive season. 

The Yankees made Boston pay in grand fashion Wednesday night in a 9-2 defeat to sweep the American League Wild Card Series. New York heads south to meet the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS while the Red Sox head back to Boston far sooner than they could have hoped for the second year in a row. 

Willson Contreras and Nick Sogard homered. At least Nate Eaton wanted to play baseball Wednesday night. Sonny Gray pitched pretty well. None of it mattered. 

Both putrid losses followed a similar script: starting pitcher pulled too early, offense fails to create any momentum, bullpen calls backfire and Yankee fans party in the bleachers. And now – with the lockout looming – the Red Sox head into winter with problems to solve. 

Here are three takeaways from Wednesday night’s season-ending loss. 

SONNY DESERVED BETTER

The veteran right-hander looked the part of a frontline starter in an elimination game. Man, did his stuff look on from pitch one. Ben Rice smacked the staff around last night and Gray finished him off to start the night with a fantastic curveball. He showed flashes of a great two-seam fastball, including a filthy front-door one to strikeout Spencer Jones. 

Gray racked up 12 swings-and-misses (16 was his season-high) in 4 2/3 frames. He truly made just a single “mistake” on the evening – not that bad of a pitch – on the breaking ball that Luis Garcia Jr. golfed into the right field seats for a solo home run. He allowed another earned run that Erik Miller, who entered for Gray with two on and two out in the fifth inning, allowed to score on an RBI single for Cody Bellinger. 

Even more so than the debate with Payton Tolle for Game 1, there was no reason to take Gray out of the ballgame given how he had thrown the ball to that point at just 70 pitches – especially to turn to Miller amid his struggles from the end of the regular season and Tuesday night’s mistake pitch to Rice. 

Gray’s future – both as a Red Sox and as a player with hints toward retirement throughout the year – will be up in the air. He more than did his job Wednesday night. 

CHAD TRACY HAS A LONG WAY TO GO

The Red Sox really didn’t score enough to make this point the headliner, but Chad Tracy spun himself in circles with his bullpen usage and it consistently burned him – usually immediately after. Erik Miller imploded in both outings. Trusted arms in Brayan Bello and Garrett Whitlock gave up back-breaking homers after getting the call far later than they should have to keep the game close. Every bullpen button he pressed was wrong. 

He ditched the interim tag and has a three-year contract to look forward to. If he really wants to earn it, he has to gain some feel and conviction beyond his calming presence in the clubhouse and stretch beyond the miraculous stretch of July baseball Boston used to even reach this point. 

OFFENSE NEEDS AN OVERHAUL

The Red Sox did enough to get here, but let’s be honest. Even if Roman Anthony was healthy, did this lineup scare anyone in the playoffs? Was there any chance to hang a crooked number? 

Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela have been zeroes offensively in both years they’ve made it. Caleb Durbin finished quietly. Too many AAAA players have been asked to take playoff at-bats at Yankee Stadium in each of the last two seasons. That cannot continue 

People will be upset that the Red Sox did not earn a home playoff game. That’s because they didn’t earn it. Complaints about the current playoff format are honestly irrelevant. 

Want playoff baseball back at Fenway Park? Build a better team that can actually thump their opponents in the playoffs. Until then, the Yankees will run circles around you in The Bronx for the rest of the decade, no matter the fun the kids find in the summer at Fenway. 

Contreras’ homer finally snapped a 26 2/3 inning scoring drought in the postseason dating back to Game 2 of last year’s series in New York. The Red Sox need to overhaul a lineup that doesn’t have a one player or one position solution. Creativity has to prevail because the offense clearly hasn’t worked for two years running against the Yankees.

Get to work.

HOUSTON – Sam Antonacci’s double to lead off Game 2 of the American League wild-card series missed Yordan Alvarez’s glove by inches, but that was all the daylight the Chicago White Sox needed.

The White Sox jumped out to an early 4-0 lead and never looked back, defeating the Houston Astros, 7-3, on Wednesday, Sept. 30 to complete a series sweep. The White Sox advanced to play the Cleveland Guardians in the ALDS, which begins Saturday, Oct. 3.

To White Sox manager Will Venable, the ruthless first inning exemplified his team’s approach.

“The way that we started was really, I think, indicative of that fearlessness and the guys responded behind it, so just amazing stuff,” he said.

Poetically, it was the White Sox’s first postseason series win since they swept the Astros in the 2005 World Series.

Chase Meidroth, whose three-run homer in the sixth inning on Wednesday put the game away for the White Sox, said the result came down to belief, energy and confidence.

“We got a young, hungry group, some veteran guys that we lean on,” Meidroth said. “But, yeah, it's been the same all year. We believe we can win every game.”

Aaron Judge has not played since mid-September. Now that the New York Yankees have gotten past the Boston Red Sox, they are going to need him at Tropicana Field on Saturday, against the best team in the American League.

The Rays went 98-64 and beat out the Yankees for the AL East and the No. 1 seed. They went 55-26 at the Trop. The Yankees went 2-5 there this season.

Judge's right calf strain kept him off the wild-card roster. He has said he wants to play this postseason, but even if he does, he might not be at full speed. The concrete floor at the Trop isn't going to do him any favors, either.

The Yankees and Rays have met in October only once. In 2020, in a pandemic bubble where they played in San Diego's Petco Park, Mike Brosseau homered off Aroldis Chapman in the eighth inning of Game 5, and the Rays won 2-1. A month earlier, Chapman had been suspended for throwing at Brosseau's head.

When does the Yankees vs Rays ALDS start?

• Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 3, 6:30 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field (TBS, truTV, HBO Max)
• Game 2: Monday, Oct. 5, 8 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field, TV TBA
• Game 3: Wednesday, Oct. 7 at Yankee Stadium, Time and TV TBA
• Game 4, if needed: Thursday, Oct. 8 at Yankee Stadium, Time and TV TBA
• Game 5, if needed: Saturday, Oct. 10 at Tropicana Field, Time and TV TBA