Despite the Yankees’ previous heroics, their regular season cast a shadow of anxiety over what could unfold in October. Unfortunately for the team, those worries became a reality on Tuesday, as the bullpen struggled in a tense game against the Red Sox.
Max Fried started off strong, pitching into the seventh inning with a slim one-run lead, but after handing the ball to Luke Weaver, things quickly unraveled. The Yankees ended up suffering a 3-1 loss in the first game of the AL Wild Card Series.
Weaver faced immense pressure due to the dominant performance of Red Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet, who delivered seven excellent innings, allowing just one run while striking out eleven batters.
After Crochet, former Yankee closer Aroldis Chapman came in during the eighth inning but quickly faced trouble, giving up three consecutive singles leading to run-scoring opportunities from key players like Paul Goldschmidt and Aaron Judge.
Giancarlo Stanton, who has had many memorable postseason moments, couldn’t recreate that magic this time and struck out on four pitches. Jazz Chisholm Jr. also had a tough outing, popping out without driving in the runners on base.
In a moment of drama, Chapman struck out Trent Grisham with a blazing fastball, briefly keeping Yankee hopes alive for Game 2 against Brayan Bello, who had previously troubled them in mid-September.
Fried, who managed to maneuver through tense situations in the fourth and fifth innings, exited after throwing 102 pitches, leaving fans in anxiety as the game progressed.
However, Weaver’s entrance was less than smooth—he fell behind Sedanne Rafaela with a 2-0 count before the Red Sox center fielder earned a walk in a long at-bat. Things escalated when Nick Sogard’s calculated test of Aaron Judge’s arm allowed two runners to score.
Things went from bad to worse when pinch hitter Masataka Yoshida hit the first pitch he saw into center field, securing a 2-1 lead for the Red Sox.
In his postseason debut, Volpe gave fans a glimmer of hope, connecting with a 97-mile-per-hour sinker to give the Yankees an early 1-0 advantage in the second inning. However, that was the only highlight for the Yankees that night as their offensive struggles continued, even during their best opportunities in the game.
Their finest chance came early in the first inning, with Goldschmidt and Judge reaching base on back-to-back singles. But Crochet managed to induce a double play, taking the wind out of their sails.
