When it seemed Aaron Boone‘s defensive adjustments were working flawlessly, the Boston Red Sox‘s timely postseason hitting secured a crucial Wild Card Game 1 victory, putting them one win away from sending the New York Yankees home as early as tomorrow.
The worst part? The Bronx Bombers played nearly perfectly, holding a slim lead until the bullpen squandered Max Fried‘s stellar start.
Max Fried Must Be Furious
If there was a perfect plan, the Yankees executed it until the seventh inning. Max Fried was untouchable, but with finishing the game out of reach, the bullpen came in and allowed two runs in the seventh and another in the ninth.
Max Fried pitched 6.1 innings, giving up four hits, three walks, and striking out six without allowing a single run over 102 pitches. He gave everything he had until Aaron Boone pulled him.
Anthony Volpe‘s home run gave the Yankees the lead in the second inning, but one run wasn’t enough over the long stretch of the game. Ultimately, the Boston Red Sox‘s clutch timely hitting punished relievers Weaver and Bendar.
Now, the Yankees face a must-win to even the short Wild Card series. If they fail, their MLB postseason – and hopes of returning to the World Series, where they haven’t won a baseball title since 2009 – will come to an end.
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