NEW YORK (AP) — Garrett Crochet retired 17 consecutive batters in a glowing pitching efficiency, and pinch-hitter Masataka Yoshida lined a two-run single off reliever Luke Weaver that despatched the Boston Crimson Sox previous the New York Yankees 3-1 on Tuesday evening of their AL Wild Card Sequence opener.
New York loaded the bases with no one out within the ninth inning, however All-Star nearer Aroldis Chapman labored out of the jam in opposition to his former staff. Boston is 10-4 versus its longtime rival this yr and midway to profitable the best-of-three playoff.
“You could see it in his eyes before the game that he wanted it bad,” Boston’s Alex Bregman mentioned of Crochet. “Just a performance that big-time pitchers make.”
Recreation 2 is Wednesday evening within the Bronx once more, with Aaron Decide and the Yankees needing a victory to increase their season and two in a row to advance.
“We’ve been doing it all year,” Decide mentioned.
The Recreation 1 winner superior in all 12 earlier Wild Card Sequence, 10 in sweeps.
“Hopefully we can continue that,” Crimson Sox supervisor Alex Cora mentioned.
Crochet gave up solely Anthony Volpe’s second-inning homer and improved to 4-0 in opposition to the Yankees this yr, throwing a career-high 117 pitches in a marquee duel of ace left-handers with Max Fried. Crochet struck out 11 and walked none over 7 2/3 innings whereas permitting 4 hits.
“We had some big 3-2 counts and some hitter’s counts and just weren’t able to come through,” New York’s Paul Goldschmidt mentioned.
Pitching with a 2-1 lead after Yoshida’s go-ahead hit within the seventh, Crochet prolonged his streak of retired batters till Volpe singled with one out within the eighth. Crochet’s remaining pitch was his quickest at 100.2 mph, which Austin Wells took for a known as third strike.
Chapman retired José Caballero on a flyout to complete the eighth earlier than Bregman, enjoying his one hundredth postseason sport, hit an RBI double within the ninth off David Bednar.
Goldschmidt, Decide and Cody Bellinger loaded the bases with consecutive singles beginning the underside half, however Chapman recovered to get the save when he struck out Giancarlo Stanton, retired Jazz Chisholm Jr. on a shallow flyout and fanned Trent Grisham with a 101 mph fastball.
Boston improved to 13-12 in opposition to the Yankees within the playoffs, profitable 9 of the final 10 conferences.
Crochet threw essentially the most pitches in a postseason sport since Washington’s Stephen Strasburg tossed 117 in opposition to St. Louis in 2019.
Fried pitched shutout ball for six 1/3 innings however a Yankees bullpen that had a 4.37 ERA through the common season, twenty third among the many 30 groups, faltered once more.
Weaver relieved with nobody on, received forward of Ceddanne Rafaela 0-2 within the depend, then walked him on 11 pitches.
Nick Sogard grounded a double into right-center, hustling to second when Decide didn’t dash to choose up the ball. Yoshida lined the following pitch, a fastball on the letters, to middle for a 2-1 lead.
Weaver had a 1.05 ERA in his first 24 appearances, was sidelined for two 1/2 weeks by a strained left hamstring, then had a 5.31 ERA over his remaining 40 video games.
Fried received 19 swings and misses, hanging out six and strolling three whereas permitting 4 hits. He escaped a second-and-third, two-out jam within the fourth, then first-and-second, one-out bother within the fifth.
Volpe, who slumped to a .212 batting common this yr, put the Yankees forward when he drove a sinker to the alternative area, the place the ball landed a half-dozen rows into the right-field seats. Volpe’s drive would have been a house run in all however one massive league stadium: Fenway Park.
Up subsequent
Yankees LHP Carlos Rodón (18-9, 3.09 ERA) and Crimson Sox RHP Brayan Bello (11-9, 3.35) begin Wednesday.
Initially Printed: September 30, 2025 at 7:55 PM PDT
