NEW YORK -- The New York Yankees are going to the ALDS. For the second straight night, the Yankees thoroughly dismantled the rival Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday (NY 9, BOS 2), and punched their ticket to the next round. New York swept the best-of-three Wild Card Series and outscored the Red Sox 18-2 in the two games.
"Yes," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said when asked if he was surprised by the margin of victory. "As I said, kind of all year but even going into this series, that was a scary team to us, especially as well as they pitch. For us to have the offensive outbreaks that we had here these last two nights and late, credit to those guys. That was very satisfying to play that well in these two games."
Game 2 was competitive into the sixth inning. Willson Contreras poked a solo home run into the short right field porch to cut the Red Sox's deficit to 2-1, and it looked like it would be a tight game the rest of the way. Instead, the Yankees broke the game open with a six-run bottom of the sixth, including three on Cody Bellinger's three-run home run. This effectively ended the series:
"Obviously winning those type of games are better than close games," Bellinger said. "It was good. A few off days and we've got to get right back at it."
The Yankees added another run in the seventh and it was academic from there. They used closer David Bednar with a seven-run lead in the ninth to get him work as much as to close out the series. New York out-hit the Red Sox 26-7 and out-baserunner-ed them 34-10 in the two games. These two teams usually play tight games, but not this Wild Card Series. The Yankees dominated.
New York will now take on the Rays in the ALDS in a series that begins Saturday. The Red Sox will go home for the winter and try to figure out how they can get over the Wild Card Series hump. Here now are our takeaways from Game 2.
The Yankees needed offense at the trade deadline -- it was clear as day -- and that led them to the Nationals second baseman-turned-first baseman Luis Gárcia Jr. Gárcia's left-handed pull power fit Yankee Stadium's short right field porch very well. Case in point: Gárcia hit six homers with a .927 OPS at home after the trade. On the road, it was one homer and a .447 OPS.
The Wild Card Series was played in the Bronx and Gárcia used the short porch to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning of Game 2. He scooped a Sonny Gray slider out to right field. It wasn't a bad pitch at all. Gárcia went down to golf a breaking ball below the zone. The Yankees had been chasing this pitch for swings and misses all night up to this point.
After spending 2020-26 with the Nationals, this is Gárcia's first postseason experience. He did not start Game 1 against lefty Payton Tolle, but he came off the bench to pinch hit and drove in a run with a ground ball. Gárcia and Paul Goldschmidt will be the platoon at first base this postseason, much like they were late in the regular season, and they were very productive.
Acquired from the Giants for erstwhile top prospect Marcelo Mayer, lefty Erik Miller was really good for the Red Sox. He threw 18 ⅔ innings with a 3.38 ERA and 29 -- 29! -- strikeouts. Miller did struggle down the stretch, though, walking nine and hitting two batters (and throwing three wild pitches) in 7 ⅓ innings in September. Still, he remained in manager Chad Tracy's Circle of Trust™.
Miller's struggles continued in Game 1: the first batter he faced, Ben Rice, hit a ball into Monument Park for a solo homer. Miller struggled again in Game 2, and the first batter he faced, Cody Bellinger, poked an RBI single to right field to score a run and give the Yankees a 2-0 lead. It took Nate Eaton throwing a runner out at the plate to get Miller out of the inning.
The Red Sox bullpen unraveled from there. Garrett Crochet, out since late April with a shoulder/lat issue, entered to start the sixth inning. It did not go well. He faced four batters and retired only one, and that one reached base anyway -- Spencer Jones struck out but reached on the wild pitch. Jones then stole second and advanced to third when the throw sailed into the outfield.
"I thought we did a lot of good things offensively," Boone said. "Whether it was obviously a couple big long balls, Spencer legs out a strikeout to start the big inning, the stolen base comes into play, we put some balls in play, a couple of really well-computed bunt situations. I told those guys: we play like that, we have a chance to beat anybody."
Boston's other Garrett -- Garrett Whitlock -- inherited a bases-loaded, no-outs jam from Crochet, and the inning unraveled. Austin Wells brought in a run with a two-strike sacrifice fly. Ryan McMahon brought a run home with a weak tapper to third base. The Red Sox then intentionally walked Game 1 hero Ben Rice to face Bellinger, and it was curtains:
"That was a cool moment. I feel like I was able to enjoy that one," Bellinger, who caught the ceremonial first pitch from his father, Clay Bellinger, said about his homer. "Just a home game in Yankee Stadium, it's a really fun atmosphere. It's fun to play. And hopefully we get many, many more this month."
The Red Sox scored two runs on solo homers in the two games. No level of pitching can overcome that. Their bullpen did not give them a chance, though. Five relievers were charged with eight runs in 3 ⅓ innings in Game 1. In Game 2, five relievers were tagged with seven runs in 3 ⅓ innings, including Crochet and Whitlock, ostensibly two of Boston's best.
It's two games and anything can happen in this sport in two games, but the Yankees looked like they were on a completely different level than the Red Sox this series. They pitched better, they hit better, they defended better, they ran the bases better, they executed better, and Aaron Boone out-managed Chad Tracy as well. This was a thorough dismantling.
"Obviously, we got the home run from Willson and got the game to 2-1 and we were right in it," Red Sox manager Chad Tracy said. "And once we got there, we actually had the ball turned over to the part of the bullpen for the latter part that we wanted to. And obviously that didn't go our way."
Fried was not as good as Schlittler in Game 1, but he came pretty close. The veteran lefty held Boston to one run -- the Contreras solo homer -- in six innings. He struck out six and threw 98 pitches. When that guy is your No. 2 starter, you're living well.
Cam Schlittler 6.1 IP, 0 R Max Fried 6 IP, 1 R First time Yankees starters allowed no more than 1 run in both of their first 2 postseason games since 1999 (ALDS vs Rangers, Orlando Hernandez 8 IP, 0 R then Andy Pettitte 7.1 IP, 1 R)
— James Smyth (@jamessmyth621.bsky.social) September 30, 2026 at 10:46 PM
That 1999 ALDS was some series. The Rangers scored 945 runs that season and the Yankees held them to one run total in the three-game ALDS sweep. New York's superpower is its rotation. The Yankees have Schlittler and Fried, plus Gerrit Cole, and also Carlos Rodón, who outpitched Cole and Fried this year. Schlittler and Fried made sure Cole wasn't even needed this series.
"I feel great about those guys, obviously," Boone said about his rotation. "That's been the biggest strength for us throughout the year. It sustained us. It got us through some difficult times. And I feel like they're all in a good place right now. That's one of the ways we're going to have to do it, obviously leaning on the strength of those guys. But I like where they're at."
For the Yankees, the ALDS. They'll take on the AL East rival Rays when that best-of-five series begins Saturday in Florida. Drew Rasmussen will start Game 1 for the Rays. The Yankees haven't announced their pitching plans yet, but Gerrit Cole was lined up to start Game 3 of the Wild Card Series. It stands to reason he'll start Game 1 of the ALDS. The Red Sox, meanwhile, are going home for the offseason. Their season ended in the Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium for the second straight year.
It's 9-2 Yankees in the eighth. The Yankees have closer David Bednar warming. I'm not sure if they want to make sure they close this out and finish the series, or just want to get him work. It's been a few days.
Austin Wells singled in another run. It's 9-2 Yankees in the seventh. Jazz Chisholm Jr. stole two bases in the inning. The rest of this game can be an email.
Nick Sogard's solo homer makes it 8-2 Yankees in the seventh. Will Warren is on the mound for the home team.
They're small-balling the Red Sox here in the sixth. The Yankees have scored three runs this inning thanks to a strikeout/wild pitch, a sac bunt attempt that went for a hit, a sac fly, and a weak ground ball to third ...
... and then Cody Bellinger hit a three-run homer. It's 8-1 Yankees. The Red Sox intentionally walked Ben Rice to get to Bellinger. It did not work.
It's 8-1 and extremely late for a Red Sox team that has had a hard time scoring for a month now.
The Red Sox can't turn Trent Grisham's sac bunt attempt into an out. The bases are loaded with no outs. Garrett Whitlock is coming in.
Spencer Jones, who is a very large man (6-foot-7) built a rally with his speed. He struck out against Garrett Crochet, but reached on a wild pitch. He then stole second and advanced to third when the throw went into the outfield. George Lombard Jr. brought him home with a single. It's 3-1 Yankees in the seventh.
The Red Sox have their other Garrett (Whitlock) warming.
Some context on Boston's offensive woes:
That Willson Contreras homer breaks a 27.2 inning scoreless streak for the Red Sox in the Wild Card Series.
— Jon Schwartz (@jonlschwartz.bsky.social) September 30, 2026 at 10:00 PM
Garrett Crochet is coming in for the Red Sox. This will be his first game since April 25, the day Alex Cora was fired.
The Red Sox have finally scored a run. Willson Contreras pokes a ball out to right-center to cut the deficit to 2-1 in the sixth. It is Boston's first round of the series.
The play was reviewed for fan interference, but it was quickly confirmed. It's a homer. The Red Sox have life. Paul Blackburn is warming up for the Yankees. They're probably envisioning nine outs for Blackburn and David Bednar.
I'm not sure about that send from the Yankees. Ben Rice hadn't yet rounded third when the single arrived in the glove of left fielder Nate Eaton. Eaton has an absolute cannon. There's always some logic behind a two-out send and making the defense make the play, but that felt like an automatic out instead of having the bases loaded for Spencer Jones with a pitcher who had just allowed two straight hits.
Garrett Crochet is warming up for the Red Sox.
Two-out single makes it 2-0. I told you Cody Bellinger hits lefties well. Second straight night Erik Miller came in and immediately allowed a run.
Bellinger and Yordan Alvarez have been baseball's two best left-on-left hitters the last three seasons. Alvarez is great, period. Bellinger does it more with contact, which was enough here.
Luis Gárcia Jr. followed with a single to left, but Nate Eaton threw Ben Rice out at the plate to keep it a 2-0 ballgame. Eaton has an incredible arm, but in a tight game like this, I get the send. Gotta push the envelope to score.
The at-bats were much better the second time through the lineup. He leaves with runners on the corners and two outs in the fifth, after throwing only 70 pitches. Erik Miller is coming in to face Cody Bellinger, who hits lefties very well despite being a lefty himself.
The Red Sox have lefty Erik Miller up in the bullpen. Gray is at 62 pitches. Miller gave up Ben Rice's first homer in Game 1.
The Red Sox hit .219/.295/.356 with an average of 2.96 runs per game in September in the regular season. So far in the playoffs, they have five hits and haven't scored a run in 13 innings.
Trade deadline pickup Luis Gárcia Jr. finds the short porch for a solo home run. His swing fits this ballpark very well. That's why the Yankees got him.
After the trade, Gárcia had six homers and a .927 OPS at Yankee Stadium. It was one homer and a .447 OPS on the road. Gárcia hit 30 homers between the Yankees and Nationals this season, which is his first time making the postseason.
The Yankees have taken much better swings against Sonny Gray the second time through the order.
The Yankees have two infield singles. The Red Sox have a single and a hustle double. The Sonny Gray vs. Max Fried pitchers' duel is on. It's 0-0 going to the fourth.
The Red Sox know the scouting report. Hit a ball to any Yankees outfielder other than Cody Bellinger, and you can push the envelope, because the Yankees have some sloppy fielders. Nate Eaton took advantage of Trent Grisham in center for a hustle double with one out, but Max Fried stranded him. It's 0-0 going to the bottom of the third.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. had a two-out infield single, but was stranded. Otherwise not much going on right now. Max Fried has thrown 28 pitches. Gray has thrown 25.
He struck out two. Only 11 pitches. It's 0-0 going into the second inning.
Pitched around Willson Contreras' two-out single. Adley Rutschman worked a 10-pitch at-bat before striking out. He had a 10-pitch at-bat against Cam Schlittler in the first inning last night. That one ended with a single. Rutschman has put together Boston's best at-bats by a mile this series. Fried threw 20 pitches.
Lovely weather in the Bronx tonight. 68-ish with a nice breeze. It was a bit steamy last night.
Max Fried's first pitch to Jahmai Jones is a fastball above the zone for a ball. Fried is basically the total opposite of Game 2 starter Cam Schlittler. Schlittler throws hard and pounds the zone with fastballs. Fried is a craftsman without upper-90s gas, but he has seven pitches he'll use regularly. He is one of the game's best at limiting hard contact.
Cam Schlittler and Ben Rice carried the Yankees to victory in Game 1. Their common thread? Boston roots.
After leaving Game 1 early with a recurrence of a hand injury that stole much of his 2026 regular season, Roman Anthony was officially removed from the Boston roster earlier on Wednesday. He'll be replaced by Curtis Mead and will not be eligible to return until the ALCS, should the Red Sox make it that far.
Sonny Gray has been every so slightly better against lefties (.654 OPS) than righties (.682 OPS) this year, but the Yankees are going with their lefty heavy lineup. Lefties typically hit the ball much harder against Gray than righties, so the Yankees are leaning into it, and hoping a few of their players can find Yankee Stadium's short right field porch.
As mentioned, the Game 1 Wild Card Series winner almost always wins the round. Here's how Boston's comeback odds rank:
