This past week, the Red Sox matched up against their rival New York Yankees in Yankee Stadium for a best-of-three Wild Card Series showdown. After making the playoffs for the first time since 2021, this Red Sox team was looking to prove its belonging as one of the top competitors in the American League.
Game One: Red Sox Win 3-1
Going into the series, all twelve teams that had won the first game in the new best-of-three Wild Card Series format had advanced to the next round, so securing a game one win would be crucial for the Sox. They would do just that, as they would just prevail in a low-scoring pitching duel between two of the best left-handed starters in the league, Garrett Crochet for the Red Sox, and Max Fried for the Yankees. Although Max Fried would give the Yankees an impressive six and one-third scoreless innings, the questionable decision by manager Aaron Boone to take him out prematurely in favor of the bullpen would backfire, as New York’s shaky bullpen arms would surrender three runs in the final three innings of the game. Starter Garrett Crochet and closing pitcher Aroldis Chapman would limit the Yankees to only one run, with Crochet in particular putting up a great stat line with eleven strikeouts and no walks in just under eight innings. After a great first postseason performance on the Red Sox for Garrett Crochet, in addition to a phenomenal regular season, the Red Sox organization can be confident that they have a solidified ace pitcher for years to come.
In addition to the great pitching performance, the Red Sox offense had an impressive outing against a talented New York pitching staff. Although the offense lacked power, manager Alex Cora was able to manufacture runs throughout the game with smart pinch-hitting, baserunning, and lineup arrangements. The main impact players included Masataka Yoshida for his clutch pinch hit to give the Red Sox two runs, along with Alex Bregman for driving in another.
Game Two: Yankees Win 4-3
After a statement win in Yankee Stadium, the Red Sox had a chance to send their storied rivals home early in October. With right-handed starter Bryan Bello on the mound and lock-down relief pitcher Garrett Whitlock in the bullpen, it seemed like the pitching staff would repeat their success from the previous night. That would not be the case, however, as Bello would only go two and one-third innings, giving up a two-run home run to Yankee first baseman and Cohasset native Ben Rice. After a sequence of Red Sox relievers would pick up the slack and pitch a solid couple of innings, Garrett Whitlock would be brought in for the last two innings and would struggle mightily to find the strike zone. The offense would not save the lackluster performance in the pitching department, as Trevor Story would be the only source of production in the lineup, with three runs batted in, one coming from a solo home run. The rest of the lineup lacked any meaningful production, as weak contact and bad swing decisions would hurt them mightily throughout the game.
Game Three: Yankees Win 4-0
It would all come down to Game 3 of the series, a win-or-go-home matchup. Both teams would give the nod to rookie starting pitchers, Connelly Early for the Red Sox and Cam Schlittler for the Yankees. History would be made by both of these rookie starters, as Early would be the youngest rookie pitcher since Babe Ruth to start a postseason game for the Red Sox. Although Early would have a solid couple of innings, the defense behind him would eventually implode, leading to four runs being let up by the Red Sox in the fourth inning. Cam Schlittler’s performance, on the other hand, made history in many ways, as his dominant eight-inning, twelve-strikeout, walkless, shutout performance would be not only one of the greatest outings of a rookie pitcher, but of any pitcher in the postseason throughout MLB history, shattering many previous records. His electric fastball, often reaching 100 miles per hour, along with his ability to command his pitches in the zone, made it very hard for the Sox offense to do anything. Jamie Franklin, a freshman and an avid Red Sox fan, comments on the pitching matchup by stating,”I thought Connelly Early pitched pretty well, it [the loss] wasn’t his fault, but Schlitler was better.” The Walpole, Massachusetts native would put the Yankees team on his back to crush the World Series hopes of the Red Sox.
Although it was undoubtedly a fantastic start for the rookie Cam Schlittler, some Red Sox fans question how their hitters in the lineup were not able to adjust to his arsenal. Senior Nico Cicerone shares his opinion on the Sox lineup as he comments,”The offense was awful, it looked like we sent out a Triple A lineup.” Thirteen strikeouts and five hits in an elimination game for the Sox offense certainly was not what they were hoping for, but Cam Schlittler certainly cemented himself as a weapon for the Yankees going forward due to his incredible pitching ability.
What does this mean going forward for the Red Sox?
The premature end to a season without a World Series ring will always be devastating, especially due to the lofty expectations that define Boston sports. However, there are many bright spots to take away from this season, as a true young core has started to emerge, filled with superstar players in the making that fans should be excited about, similar to the young core that led to their last World Series win in 2018. Although there is now a new supporting cast still learning how to win in October, playoff experience will only help in their eventual mission to win a World Series. Freshman Orlando Vittorini, when reflecting on the Red Sox’s downfall during the series, states,”I feel like the Red Sox [were] getting a little too cocky… their mindset wasn’t locked in.” Despite their youth and inexperience, this Boston Red Sox team has a bright future with many more playoff berths to come.
