Yanks SOCK BoSox Again to Take Wildcard Series! NY 9 Boston 2

October 1, 2026 paperbacklou 2026 0
Luis Garcia Jr. gets to Sonny Gray with a solo HR in the 4th, giving Yanks a 1-0 lead.

The Yankees were leading 1-0 in the 5th inning of a tight pitchers’ duel between Max Fried and Sonny Gray, when Ben Rice singled with 2 outs, putting runners on 1st and 3rd and causing Red Sox manager Chad Tracy to pull Gray at 70 pitches — bringing in lefty Erik Miller to face Cody Bellinger.

That move opened up the flood gates, as Bellinger singled in a run, and next batter Luis Garcia Jr. also singled in a run. The Yankees poured on 6 more runs in the 6th en route to a 9-2 drubbing of the Red Sox to win the Wild Card series, 2 games to 0. On a gorgeous September Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium, temperature at 65 degrees.

The 6th inning barrage started with Spencer Jones striking out — but scrambling safe to 1st as the pitch by Garrett Crochet went for a wild pitch. Jones then stole 2nd and went to 3rd when the throw got away at 2nd. George Lombard Jr. singled in Jones to give NY a 4-2 lead — and begin the onslaught. Spencer Jones would strike out again to end the inning — making him possibly the first MLB player ever to strike out twice in an inning yet be the hero of the inning, a network broadcaster pointed out.

Luis Garcia Jr. was the first one to crack Gray, with a solo HR in the bottom of the 4th. He was due up in the 5th after Bellinger, who had hit the ball hard off Gray in his prior 2 at bats. So credit Garcia Jr. and Bellinger and Rice and Trent Grisham — who had singled to lead off the 5th against Gray — for the machine-gun attack that caused Tracy to pull Gray.

Gray Didn’t Like Getting Pulled

“I’m the best pitcher in the American League going through the order for a third time,” said Sonny Gray afterwards. “I think that’s a fact. I would’ve liked to live or die with me in that moment…ask the guys in here if they felt the same way. I felt strong, confident.”

“I would have liked to have been trusted in that moment,” added Gray.

Teammate Willson Contreras was one of the Red Sox who agreed, using a zipping-lips motion when asked what he thought about Gray being taken out too early.

Manager Chad Tracy explained his decision afterwards: “We’re trailing; we’re struggling to score runs, and you feel like you have to be aggressive. So they’re getting back to the top part of the lineup that got a couple of hits against him — you can put it out; and if you can put it out you’re kind of lined up to where we wanted to go and that just didn’t work.”

“They’re good,” added Tracy when asked about pulling Payton Tolle early the game before, in addition to Gray in this game. “But our bullpen has been great all year too.”

Boone Applauds Bosox

“As I said kind of all year but even going into this series, that was a scary team for us — especially as well as they pitch,” said manager Aaron Boone about the Red Sox. “So for us to have the offensive outbreaks that we’ve had here these last 2 nights — and late — credit to those guys. That was very satisfying to play that well in these 2 games. And that’s what it was — they played great. And beat a really good team that deserves a lot of credit for being down and out in the middle of the season and fought their way back to being no doubt into the playoffs at the end.”

NY now plays — get this — Tampa in the next round — despite the fact that NY had the 2nd best record in the American League.

1. Fried Fantastic

The post-game Gray controversy overshadowed the fact that Max Fried was Fantastic, and out-dueled Gray. Fried didn’t have his best stuff — and kept throwing first-pitch balls and getting behind in the count — but kept getting easy outs on 3-2 pitches and outs in general.

Fried dominated the Red Sox for 6 innings of 3-hit ball, striking out 4 and walking only 1.

Fried pitched a shutout 1st — allowing just a 2-out single — and a 1-2-3 shutout 2nd.

Fried then pitched out of minor trouble in the 3rd when Nate Eaton blooped a hit to center that Trent Grisham was slow in fielding and Eaton full charged to 2nd base for a double. Fried had Grisham’s back — striking out next batter Jahmai Jones and getting Adley Rutschman to ground out to 3rd.

Fried walked Willson Contreras to lead off the 4th, but got a strikeout and 2 flyouts to easily end the inning, then — staked to a 1-0 lead — pitched a 1-2-3 shutout 5th.

By the top of the 6th Fried had a 3-0 lead, and got the first 2 outs of the inning — the 2nd on a terrific basket catch by Jazz Chisholm Jr. in short centerfield.

But with 2 outs, Fried got tabbed by a HR to right-center by Willson Contreras, right into the glove of a fan in the stands.

But Fried got a fly out to end the inning and NY held a 3-1 lead heading into the bottom of the 6th.

2. Garcia Jr. Gets to Gray in 4th with HR

Sonny Gray was tough — motoring through the Yankees’ lefthanded-laden lineup and matching Fried in a pitchers’ duel. Gray pitched a 1-2-3 shutout 1st, and allowed only a 2-out infield single to Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the 2nd, and a 1-out infield single to Ryan McMahon in the 3rd.

But Luis Garcia Jr. led off the 4th by hitting a 1-2 sweeper for a 387-foot HR to right and a 1-0 Yankee lead.

3. Yanks Crack Gray in 5th

Spencer Jones singled after Garcia’s HR in the 4th, but Gray got a strikeout and ground-ball doubleplay to end the inning.

Trent Grisham led off the 5th with a single to right, but Gray got Austin Wells to ground into a fielder’s choice, and struck out Ryan McMahon.

Ben Rice was up with 2 outs. Gray had struck out Rice his first time up with a 1-2 sweeper that dropped down like a curveball, then got Rice on a hard drive to right his 2nd time up.  Gray went 3-0 on Rice before coming back to run the count 3-2 before Rice ripped a 92-MPH fastball for a single to right.

With runners on 1st and 3rd and 2 outs — Red Sox manager Chad Tracy pulled Gray at 70 pitches to bring in 6’6 lefty Erik Miller.

And Cody Bellinger met Miller with a single to right for a 2-0 Yankee lead.

Next better Luis Garcia Jr. ripped a single to left for a 3-0 lead — NY tried to score 2 runs on the play as Yank 3rd base coach Luis Rojas gave Rice the green light at 3rd — but Rice was out by a mile on a throw in from Nate Eaton.

4. Gray Touching Neck a Grey Area

Gray constantly touched his neck during the outing leading some fans on X to suspect he was using some sort of sticky stuff, or was scratching a rash. Mike Daddino pointed out Gray does this regularly and it was probably just sweat and dirt and rosin — all legal, while JomBoy suspected more — and even suggested manager Chad Tracy took Gray out so he wouldn’t be bagged.

5. S Jones the Hero of 6-Run 6th

The Red Sox brought in their erstwhile Ace Garrett Crochet for the bottom of the 6th. Crochet had not pitched since April — out with left shoulder inflammation and a left lat strain.

Crochet struck out Spencer Jones on a 2-2 sweeper in the dirt to start the inning — the ball getting away from catcher Adley Rutschman but Spencer Jones busting it to 1st — initially called out but the call overturned after a Yankee challenge.

Jones then stole 2nd base, and went to 3rd when Rutschman’s throw got away at 2nd.

George Lombard Jr. promptly singled to center for a 3-1 Yankee lead.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. followed with a single to right, and Trent Grisham blooped a bunt towards 3rd and beat it out for an infield single loading the bases with nobody out. Grisham had injured his hamstring and was out on the IL in September — then seemed slow to field the single in the 3rd inning — but the hamstring looked a-diddly-do-OK on the bunt.

The Red Sox brought in former Yankee Garrett Whitlock — who has been a nemesis in the past — but this Yankee team got him.

Austin Wells hit an 0-2 changeup for a sac fly to left and 4-1 Yankee lead.

Ryan McMahon grounded out to 3rd, scoring a run to make it 5-1.

Then the Red Sox intentionally walked Ben Rice with a runner on 2nd and 2 outs. And Cody Bellinger ripped a 3-run HR to right center to blow the game open. NY 8 Boston 1.

6. Warren Good in Relief

With the game now 8-1 NY, Will Warren came in for the 7th, and got 2 outs before allowing a solo HR to Nick Sogard to make it an 8-2 game, then struck out Trevor Story to end the 7th.

Warren got the first 2 outs of the 8th, then was relieved by Brent Headrick who got the final out of the inning.

7. Wells RBI Hit Makes It 9-2 in 7th

Whitlock stayed in for the 7th, and after getting Lombard to begin the inning, walked Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Trent Grisham.

Jazz and Grisham then executed a double steal — again Grisham’s hamstring looking a-diddly-do-ok.

Austin Wells then ripped a single to center, scoring Jazz for a 9-2 Yankee lead.

8. Bednar Gets Work in 9th

Aroldis Chapman pitched a 1-2-3 shutout top of 9th — looking real good with the splitter that he throws now.

And David Bednar got some work in by pitching the 9th — walking Contreras to start the inning, but getting fly out, pop out, and strikeout for the old ballgame. And Wild Card series win.

Etcetera

Keith McPherson — who has a new program on WFAN — posted videos from around The Stadium all game and outside The Stadium before and after to give viewers the atmosphere. “Thats my thing,” he said afterwards after we lauded him for it. “For years. I am everywhere. Visiting everyone and capturing all angles.”

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401907963

 

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