The New York Yankees have forced a decisive Game 3 in the 2025 American League Wild Card Series, defeating the Boston Red Sox 4-3 in Game 2 at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night. The victory sets up the fourth winner-take-all postseason showdown in the history of the rivalry, with the winner advancing to face AL East champion Toronto Blue Jays in the Division Series.
Catcher Austin Wells struck the decisive blow, lining a two-out single in the bottom of the eighth off reliever Garrett Whitlock. Jazz Chisholm Jr., who had voiced frustration after sitting in Game 1, was running on the pitch from first and scored from 270 feet out, beating the throw from right fielder Nate Eaton with a headfirst slide. The run proved go-ahead, as Yankees closer David Bednar worked a spotless ninth inning, striking out Wilyer Abreu and Jarren Duran before securing the final out on a deep fly by Ceddanne Rafaela.
The Yankees’ offense opened the scoring first. Rookie Ben Rice, a Massachusetts native making his postseason debut, launched the first pitch he saw from Brayan Bello for a two-run homer in the opening inning, becoming the first Yankee since Shane Spencer in 1998 to homer in his first postseason at-bat. Cody Bellinger’s two-out single set up Rice’s blast.
Boston, however, responded in the third. With the bases loaded following a Duran single, a Rafaela walk, and a Rodón throwing error, Trevor Story lined a two-run single to center, knotting the score at 2. Story added a solo homer in the sixth, finishing 2-for-4 with all three of Boston’s RBIs. He is now 4-for-9 in the series.
The Yankees regained a brief lead in the fifth when Aaron Judge’s looping fly eluded a diving Duran, allowing Trent Grisham to score. Judge has two hits in each game of the series.
Carlos Rodon rendered six-plus innings for the Yankees, allowing three runs on four hits with six strikeouts and three walks. Though he opened the seventh with a walk, wild pitch, and hit batsman, reliever Fernando Cruz escaped the bases-loaded jam, aided by Chisholm’s diving stop on a Masataka Yoshida grounder and a deep fly from Story that fell just short of extra bases.
Boston’s pitching depth was tested after Bello lasted only 2.1 innings, surrendering two runs on four hits. Manager Alex Cora used six relievers, including Whitlock, who took the loss. The Red Sox stranded five runners and grounded into three double plays, failing to capitalize despite putting the leadoff man aboard in three straight innings.
