The New York Yankees are going to the ALDS. Thanks to eight brilliant innings from rookie right-hander Cam Schlittler, the Yankees won Game 3 of the Wild Card Series against the Red Sox on Thursday (NYY 4, BOS 0), and became the first team under the 12-team postseason format to win the Wild Card Series after losing Game 1. They will play the Blue Jays in the ALDS.
Schlittler, in his 16th major-league start, set a Yankees’ rookie record with 12 strikeouts and averaged — averaged — 98.9 mph with his fastball in Game 3. The 12 strikeouts are the most by any rookie since Livan Hernandez struck out 15 in Game 5 of the 1997 NLCS, the infamous Eric Gregg game. The Red Sox mustered five hits and zero walks in Schlittler’s eight innings.
The Red Sox started a rookie of their own in Game 3. Lefty Connelly Early, in what was only his fifth major-league start, cruised the first three innings before things unraveled in the fourth. Cody Bellinger’s bloop dropped in for a double, two ground balls made their way through the infield, then Nathaniel Lowe was unable to reel in a ground ball at first base.
Without hitting the ball especially hard, the Yankees put pressure on Early and pushed across four runs in the fourth inning. That was more than enough for Schlittler, who retired the final nine batters he faced with an assist from Ryan McMahon. The third baseman flipped over the visitor’s dugout railing to catch the second out of the eighth inning.
The Yankees will now play a Blue Jays team that beat them out for the AL East title thanks to the tiebreaker. The two teams finished with identical 94-68 records, but because Toronto won the season series, they got the division title and also a Wild Card Series bye. The ALDS will begin Saturday at Rogers Centre. It will be the first ever Yankees vs. Blue Jays postseason meeting.
The Red Sox, meanwhile, now head home for the winter looking for ways to add to an offense that, frankly, was a bat short after trading away Rafael Devers to the Giants in June. Alex Bregman can opt out of his contract as well. If that happens, the Red Sox will be down another bat plus their starting third baseman. Still, a promising young core is in place in Boston.
