Bronx, NY — Garrett Crochet delivered a masterclass on the mound, retiring 17 batters in a row and setting the tone as the Boston Red Sox edged the New York Yankees 3-1 Tuesday night in Game 1 of their American League Wild Card Series.
Masataka Yoshida came off the bench to deliver a clutch two-run single in the seventh inning against Yankees reliever Luke Weaver, flipping the score and giving Boston the lead for good.
Despite a tense ninth inning where the Yankees loaded the bases with no outs, Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman — facing his former club — slammed the door with a dramatic save. The win puts Boston up 1-0 in the best-of-three series and improves their season record to 10-4 against their longtime rivals.
“You could see it in his eyes — he wanted this moment,” said Alex Bregman, praising Crochet’s big-game mentality. “That’s what elite pitchers do.”
The series continues Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium, with New York needing to win to keep their postseason alive.
“We’ve been in these spots all year,” said Yankees slugger Aaron Judge. “Now it’s about how we respond.”
In all 12 previous Wild Card Series matchups, the team that won Game 1 has advanced — 10 of those via sweep.
“Let’s hope that trend continues,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said postgame.
Crochet Dominates in Duel of Aces
Crochet, now 4-0 against New York this season, was nearly untouchable. He gave up only a solo home run to Anthony Volpe in the second inning and struck out 11 without issuing a walk over 7 2/3 innings. He scattered just four hits and threw a career-high 117 pitches, the most in a postseason game since Stephen Strasburg in 2019.
“He made pitches in tough counts,” said Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. “We just couldn’t break through.”
Even in the late innings, Crochet was bringing heat — his final pitch clocked in at 100.2 mph, freezing Austin Wells for a called third strike.
Chapman then took over, getting a flyout to end the eighth. In the ninth, after Bregman’s RBI double off David Bednar padded Boston’s lead, things nearly unraveled.
Goldschmidt, Judge, and Cody Bellinger opened the bottom half with back-to-back-to-back singles. But Chapman dug deep, striking out Giancarlo Stanton, getting Jazz Chisholm Jr. on a shallow fly to left, and then blowing away Trent Grisham with a 101-mph fastball to seal the win.
Yankees’ Bullpen Stumbles Again
Max Fried held Boston scoreless for 6 1/3 innings, generating 19 swinging strikes while striking out six and walking three. But once he exited, the Yankees’ bullpen — which posted a 4.37 ERA during the regular season — faltered.
Luke Weaver entered with two outs and no one on, quickly got ahead of Ceddanne Rafaela 0-2, but lost him on an 11-pitch walk. Nick Sogard followed with a double to right-center, taking second when Judge hesitated on the play. Then Yoshida, pinch-hitting, jumped on a high fastball and sent it to center to give Boston a 2-1 edge.
Weaver had started the season with a sparkling 1.05 ERA over 24 outings but struggled after returning from a hamstring injury, finishing with a 5.31 ERA over his final 40 appearances.
Volpe Provides the Lone Spark
The Yankees took an early lead thanks to Volpe’s opposite-field solo homer in the second. Despite a tough season at the plate (.212 average), the young shortstop delivered a shot that cleared the right-field wall — a home run in all MLB parks except Fenway.
That would be New York’s only run on the night.
Looking Ahead:
The Yankees will turn to left-hander Carlos Rodón (18-9, 3.09 ERA) to try to extend their season, while the Red Sox counter with righty Brayan Bello (11-9, 3.35 ERA) in Game 2 on Wednesday night in the Bronx.
