Boston Red Sox
A two-run single from Masataka Yoshida in the seventh gave Boston the lead for good at Yankee Stadium.
The Red Sox will have a chance to end the Yankees’ season on Wednesday night in the Bronx.
Behind a dominant start from Garrett Crochet and a late-game rally from Boston’s bats, the Red Sox took Game 1 of their best-of-three Wild Card series against the Yankees, 3-1.
Here are five takeaways from Tuesday’s win at Yankee Stadium.
Garrett Crochet delivers in first postseason start
A matchup like Tuesday night in the Bronx was exactly what the Red Sox envisioned when the team sent four prospects to Chicago last winter to bring in an ace like Crochet.
The 26-year-old southpaw lived up to expectations as the anchor of Boston’s starting rotation, going 18-5 with a 2.59 ERA, league-leading 255 strikeouts, and AL-best 205.1 innings pitched during regular-season play.
In his first career playoff start, Crochet dominated, allowing just one run over 7.2 innings of work. Crochet threw 117 pitches, striking out 11 Yankees and limiting a New York lineup that scored the most runs in MLB this season.
Crochet’s lone blemish came in the bottom of the second inning. In a 1-2 count against Anthony Volpe, Crochet threw a high offering that Volpe knocked into the short porch in right field for a solo shot.
As noted by NBC Sports Boston’s Michael Hurley, Volpe’s 382-foot homer would have left the yard in 29 of MLB’s 30 ballparks. The lone outlier? Fenway Park.
But, after Volpe’s home run, Crochet shut down any sense of the Yankees building momentum. He retired 17 straight batters and struck out nine batters down the stretch.
Crochet’s dominant outing allowed Boston to eventually claw back into the game, with Cora leaning on his ace in the eighth inning after Masataka Yoshida gave Boston its first lead of the evening.
Even though he didn’t finish the inning, Crochet showed no signs of fatigue on his final pitch of the night, striking out Yankees catcher Austin Wells on a 100.2 mph fastball. It tied for his fastest pitch of the season.
Boston’s bats struggle to land knockout punch against Fried
The absence of Roman Anthony at the top of Boston’s lineup already stood as a sizable setback for the Red Sox ahead of this postseason run.
But, the Red Sox’s struggles with cashing in on runners in scoring position has plagued Alex Cora’s club all season long.
Even though Boston led all MLB teams this season with 1,484 at-bats with runners in scoring position, it also ranked first with 394 strikeouts with men on second and/or third.
Those woes with men on base once again plagued Boston at the start of Tuesday’s game, with the Red Sox unable to make Yankees starter Max Fried pay over his 6.1 innings of work.
While New York’s lefty wasn’t knocked for a single run allowed, he found himself in several jams — with Boston ultimately going 0-for-3 with RISP during his outing with two strikeouts.
The fourth inning was a back-breaker for Jarren Duran. After Carlos Narvaez worked a walk and Nate Eaton doubled, Duran worked a 3-0 count against Fried. But, the speedy Sox outfielder was unable to capitalize, eventually whiffing on a high sweeper from Fried to end Boston’s prime scoring bid.
Even though Crochet kept Boston in the contest, the Red Sox seemingly couldn’t deliver the critical hit needed to put New York on the ropes.
That changed in the seventh inning.
Yoshida puts Boston ahead
Both teams’ fortunes shifted in the seventh inning after Aaron Boone turned to a Yankees bullpen that boasts the worst ERA among playoff teams (4.37) in the seventh inning.
Ceddane Rafaela jumpstarted Boston’s rally once Yankees reliever Luke Weaver entered the game, with the usually aggressive outfielder working an 11-pitch walk to give Boston some life.
Nick Sogard, who spent a majority of the 2025 season with Triple-A Worcester, then knocked a low changeup into right field. The utility player turned on the jets and legged out a double as the ball dribbled between Aaron Judge and Trent Grisham.
With runners on second and third, Cora turned to Masataka Yoshida as a pinch-hitter.
Yoshida immediately capitalized, pouncing on the first offering from Weaver and knocking it into center field for a two-run single — and giving Boston a 2-1 advantage.
Despite his struggles this season, Yoshida is now 7-for-11 with runners in scoring position since Sept. 17.
Chapman works his way out of a jam
Despite Crochet’s brilliance on the mound, the Red Sox still needed to manufacture some breathing room in the ninth, especially with Paul Goldschmidt, Judge, and Cody Bellinger due up for New York.
Alex Bregman — playing in his 100th postseason games — gave Boston that cushion in the top of the ninth inning. After Trevor Story singled and swiped second base, Bregman made it a 3-1 game by lacing an RBI double into left field.
Sure enough, Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman labored in the ninth, giving up three-straight singles to Goldschmidt, Judge, and Bellinger in the span of just five pitches.
New York had several instances to either tie or outright snatch a victory for the Red Sox, but Chapman worked his way out of the jam, recording three straight outs (including two strikeouts) to close out the win for Boston.
Bello next up
The Red Sox will look to punch their ticket to the ALDS on Wednesday, with Bryan Bello set to get the ball for Boston.
“I have been throwing a lot of big games here, but I feel like this one is going to be different,” Bello said Tuesday afternoon via interpreter Carlos Villoria Benítez.
Despite the stakes involved with Wednesday’s start, Bello will likely welcome the locale — even in enemy territory.
In five career starts at Yankee Stadium, Bello is 3-1 with a 1.44 ERA and a 0.957 WHIP over 31.1 innings, holding opponents to just a .196 batting average during that stretch.
“I feel like as soon as you step on the field you feel the pressure from the fans, even when you are in the bullpen and when you go to the mound,” Bello said. “For me nothing changes preparation-wise, but I feel like that extra pressure from the fans and from everybody, it gets me going.”
The Red Sox are banking Bello’s on track record in New York to offset a sluggish end to the regular season. Over his final five starts of the season, Bello was knocked for a 5.40 ERA — giving up 15 earned runs across just 25 innings of work.
But, the 2025 season has been a positive step forward overall for the 26-year-old righty, who emerged as Boston’s No. 2 option behind Crochet with an 11-9 record and a 3.35 ERA.
“The difference this year is I am going to go out there and enjoy the game,” Bello said. “I am going to enjoy every single inning and obviously try to win the game.”
First pitch for Game 2 is set for 6:08 p.m. on Wednesday. While Bello gets the nod for Boston, the Yankees will counter with lefty Carlos Rodon. Rodon has been impressive this season in New York (18-9, 3.09 ERA), but has coughed up 11 runs over 15.2 innings against Boston during regular-season play.
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