The Boston Red Sox commenced their AL Wild Card Series against the New York Yankees with a commanding 3-1 victory on Tuesday night, largely thanks to an extraordinary pitching display by Garrett Crochet. His stellar performance, which included retiring 17 consecutive batters, set the stage for pinch-hitter Masataka Yoshida's pivotal two-run single off Luke Weaver in the seventh inning, securing Boston's lead.
Despite a late ninth-inning rally by New York, which saw the bases loaded with no outs, former Yankee and current Red Sox All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman masterfully escaped the threat, preserving the win. This victory not only marks Boston's 10th win in 14 contests against their storied rival this season but also positions them halfway to clinching the best-of-three playoff series.
The series continues Wednesday night in the Bronx, a crucial contest for Aaron Judge and the Yankees, who must secure a win to keep their season alive. New York will send Carlos Rodon (18-9, 3.09 ERA) to the mound, while Boston counters with Brayan Bello (11-9, 3.35).
Crochet's dominance against the Yankees this season continued, as he improved his record to 4-0 against them. In a captivating duel of elite left-handers against Max Fried, Crochet's only blemish was Anthony Volpe's second-inning solo home run. He delivered a career-high 117 pitches over 7⅔ innings, fanning 11 batters, issuing no walks, and surrendering just four hits.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora lauded Crochet's performance, explaining his decision to let him pitch deep into the eighth inning. "His stuff was outstanding," Cora remarked, "He was consistently hitting 97-98 mph, and the preceding inning was quick. This allowed us to really push him."
After Yoshida’s seventh-inning hit gave Boston a 2-1 advantage, Crochet maintained his remarkable streak of retired batters until Anthony Volpe broke it with a single in the eighth. Crochet’s final pitch, a scorching 100.2 mph fastball, resulted in a called third strike against Austin Wells.
Yankees slugger Aaron Judge offered high praise for his opponent, stating, "He's arguably the best pitcher in the game." Judge elaborated on Crochet's strategy: "He effectively used all his pitches, leaning more on off-speed pitches early on. While Volpe managed a homer and we got some runners aboard, we struggled to capitalize further."
In the eventful bottom of the ninth, the Yankees threatened by loading the bases with singles from Paul Goldschmidt, Aaron Judge, and Cody Bellinger. However, Chapman dug deep, striking out Giancarlo Stanton, inducing a flyout from Jazz Chisholm Jr., and sealing the save by fanning Trent Grisham with a blazing 101 mph fastball.
This victory advances Boston's postseason record against the Yankees to 13-12, extending their recent dominance with wins in nine of their last ten playoff encounters.
Crochet's 117-pitch outing marked the highest pitch count by a pitcher in a postseason game since Stephen Strasburg's 117 pitches for Washington against St. Louis in 2019.
On the other side, Max Fried delivered 6 1/3 innings of scoreless baseball for the Yankees. However, New York's bullpen, which struggled with a 4.37 ERA—ranking 23rd out of 30 teams in the regular season—once again proved to be their Achilles' heel.
Reliever Luke Weaver entered the game with no one on base and quickly got ahead of Ceddanne Rafaela 0-2 in the count, only to walk him after an extended 11-pitch battle. Nick Sogard then hit a ground ball into right-center field, aggressively taking second base as Judge's retrieve was delayed. Yoshida capitalized on the next pitch, a fastball high in the zone, lacing it to center field for the crucial 2-1 lead.
Weaver's season has been one of contrasting fortunes; he boasted an impressive 1.05 ERA across his initial 24 appearances before a 2 1/2-week stint on the sidelines due to a strained left hamstring. Following his return, his ERA ballooned to 5.31 over his subsequent 40 outings.
Fried’s outing saw him generate 19 swings and misses, collecting six strikeouts and walking three while also allowing four hits across his 6 1/3 innings. He deftly navigated tricky situations, escaping a two-out jam with runners on second and third in the fourth, and later stranding runners at first and second with one out in the fifth.
Anthony Volpe, whose batting average dipped to .212 this season, momentarily gave the Yankees the lead. He launched a sinker to the opposite field, sending the ball several rows deep into the right-field stands. Notably, this particular drive would have cleared the fence in every major league stadium except Fenway Park.
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Originally published at: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/46443777/garrett-crochet-stifles-yankees-red-sox-swipe-game-1
