The Boston Red Sox's postseason came to an end Thursday night, as the New York Yankees defeated them 4-0 in the decisive Game 3 of the American League Wild Card Series.
After catching lightning in a bottle with Garrett Crochet’s 11-strikeout outing to win Game 1 3-1 on Tuesday, Boston couldn't keep it going losing 4-3 in Game 2 on Wednesday, and now had their dreams dashed in Game 3, becoming the first team in the four-year history of the best-of-three Wild Card format to win Game 1 and lose the series. Previously, teams leading 1-0 had been 15-0, according to sportscaster and anchor on New England's NESN network, Thomas Caron.
Rookie Connelly Early started for the Red Sox and mounted an impressive outing, holding New York scoreless for three innings while striking out five. Early’s night ended in the fourth inning, however, during a sequence of four consecutive close plays that went in the Yankees' favor, leading to all four Yankees runs. Cody Bellinger opened the inning with a bloop double off Ceddanne Rafaela’s glove, followed by a walk to Giancarlo Stanton and a strikeout of Ben Rice.
Amed Rosario then poked a ball past Trevor Story to score Bellinger. Jazz Chisholm and Anthony Volpe hit consecutive singles, with Volpe’s ball slipping past second baseman Romy Gonzalez. The inning ended in an error by first baseman Nathaniel Lowe on a hard hopper from Austin Wells, scoring two more runs and creating a 4-0 deficit.
Boston’s defense, a house of cards all series long, collapsed under the weight of October pressure. Between Jarren Duran’s Game 2 gaffe and Lowe kicking the ball around at first in Game 3, the Red Sox's defensive cracks were laid bare. While the pitchers did their part, limiting New York to just two hits over 4.1 innings, the offense never lifted a finger, leaving Early twisting in the wind.
On the mound for the Yankees, Schlittler let it fly and held Boston at arm’s length, putting the Red Sox on a fool’s errand in a historic postseason debut. Standing 6-foot-6 and throwing 98-100 mph fastballs on 64 of his 107 pitches, Schlittler struck out 12 batters over eight shutout innings.
He set a franchise rookie record for strikeouts in a playoff start and effectively neutralized Boston’s offense, which relied heavily on Roman Antony and lacked depth due to injuries and cold streaks. Schlittler’s command allowed him to retire hitters efficiently, with no three-ball counts after the second inning, and his velocity remained at or near triple digits throughout the night.
New York's victory ended the Red Sox's streak of winning elimination games against the Yankees, which included the 2004 ALCS Game 7, the 2018 ALDS, and the 2021 Wild Card Game. Having run the table 4-0, New York will take the gloves off against the AL East champion Toronto Blue Jays in the Division Series beginning Saturday, October 4, at Rogers Centre.
