By Brendan Kuty, Jen McCaffrey and Chris Kirschner
NEW YORK — Boston Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman screamed on the mound. His strikeout of Trent Grisham with the bases loaded ended a tense 3-1 win over the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the best-of-three American League Wild Card Series on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.
It held up a masterful performance from Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet, who dominated the Yankees over 7 1/3 innings and 117 pitches. The Yankees wasted a gutsy outing from their ace, Max Fried, and their bullpen faltered at the worst possible time. They face elimination Wednesday.
Crochet did his part — and then some
This is the reason the Red Sox traded a four-player prospect haul for Crochet in December, then signed him to a long-term extension in April.
In his first career postseason start after four relief appearances for the Chicago White Sox in 2020-21, Crochet dominated. He allowed one run (Anthony Volpe’s solo homer) on four hits, one walk and 11 strikeouts over 7 2/3 innings, retiring 17 batters in a row before an eighth-inning single, then handing the ball over to Chapman to finish the frame.
All said, Crochet threw a career-high 117 pitches, including 78 strikes and 16 swing-and-misses.
Crochet has been every bit the ace the Red Sox hoped he would be — and needed — to get back to the postseason. In four regular-season starts against the Yankees, the 26-year-old had posted a 3.29 ERA with 39 strikeouts over 27 1/3 innings. He saved his best for the postseason.
The @RedSox take Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series! #Postseason pic.twitter.com/je3bkbSwbD
— MLB (@MLB) October 1, 2025
Yankees’ bullpen falters in first postseason test
The Yankees’ biggest weakness in the regular season was their bullpen. And, immediately, that weakness was on full display in the seventh inning.
Manager Aaron Boone pulled Fried from the game after he retired Jarren Duran to lead off the inning, bringing in right-handed reliever Luke Weaver. Weaver was one of the best stories of the Yankees’ 2024 season. He thought his career might have been nearing an end after failing as a starting pitcher until the Yankees revitalized him as a reliever.
But inconsistency has defined Weaver in 2025. After returning from a hamstring strain on June 20, he pitched to a 5.31 ERA to end the season. Weaver’s outing on Tuesday was immediately in trouble after he walked Ceddanne Rafaela in an 11-pitch at-bat. Rafaela was down 0-2 in the count, and Weaver could not finish him off.
Nick Sogard followed with a hustle double on a batted ball hit to Aaron Judge in shallow center. Judge did not charge the ball and lobbed a 73.2 mph throw back to the infield. He has not regained full strength in his throwing arm since hitting the injured list with a flexor strain in late July. Red Sox manager Alex Cora tested Judge’s arm the first chance he had, and it paid off.
With runners on second and third, Cora pinch hit Masataka Yoshida for Rob Refsnyder. Yoshida ripped a two-run single, giving Boston a 2-1 lead.
Two innings later, David Bednar, who’s been dependable as the Yankees’ closer since the trade deadline, entered the game in a non-save situation. After he allowed a two-out single to Trevor Story, Alex Bregman laced an RBI double down the left-field line. That gave the Red Sox a massive insurance run entering the ninth inning.
The bullpen was always going to be a pivot point for the Yankees this postseason. In its first test, it failed.
Fried to the Max
Max Fried mixed his offerings well, using seven pitch types over 6 1/3 scoreless innings. (Al Bello / Getty Images)
Fried gave the Yankees exactly what they needed — 6 1/3 scoreless innings with six strikeouts while allowing four hits and three walks. He preserved a 1-0 lead into the seventh inning.
He was masterful. His final out was the highlight. He forced the speedy Duran to ground out to first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, who led Fried with the throw to first base like a quarterback to a receiver before Fried beat Duran to the bag.
Fried mixed as well as ever, using seven pitch types en route to 101 total pitches. He led with his changeup and cutter, throwing each 24 times. But he got an astounding eight whiffs on 10 swings against his curveball. He threw first-pitch strikes to 20 of the 25 batters he faced.
Fried faced trouble in the third inning. He put runners on second and third with two outs following Nate Eaton’s bloop double that fell into shallow right field and trickled into foul territory. But he struck out Duran to end the threat, pumping his fist in an uncharacteristic display of emotion.
When Fried’s night was over, he received a raucous standing ovation. But he didn’t look up once on his way back to the dugout. Now, the Yankees need the same type of outing from Carlos Rodón in Game 2 on Wednesday.
Boston offense dormant early, comes through late
Masataka Yoshida’s hits a two-run single off Luke Weaver in the seventh. (Ishika Samant / Getty Images)
It followed a familiar script for the Red Sox offense this season: Shut down early, come back late. As soon as Fried was lifted, the Red Sox came to life and Cora used his bench to make a difference. The most impressive part of the seventh-inning rally started with Rafaela’s 11-pitch walk.
Throughout his career Rafaela has struggled with plate discipline, posting a 42.2 percent chase rate this season. But he stayed patient against Weaver for a one-out walk. That set up another key at-bat from Sogard, a utilityman who has bounced back and forth between Triple-A Worcester this season. Sogard sliced a base hit to center and took advantage of Judge’s arm, speeding to second on what should have been a single.
Cora then turned to Yoshida, who wasn’t in the starting lineup with Fried, a lefty, on the mound. But as soon as Fried exited, Yoshida entered as a pinch hitter against Weaver.
Since Sept. 19, Yoshida had hit .368 with a 1.005 OPS. He continued that hot streak, slapping a two-run, go-ahead single up the middle to give the Red Sox a 2-1 lead in his first career postseason at-bat, after signing with the Red Sox out from Japan in 2022.
Bregman added insurance with his RBI single in the eighth, driving in Story as the Red Sox continued to chip away at New York’s bullpen.
(Photo of Garrett Crochet: Ishika Samant / Getty Images)
