The Red Sox and Yankees are back in October baseball together, and Game 1 went about as badly as it could have for Boston. New York beat the Red Sox 9-0 on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium, taking a 1-0 lead in this best-of-three AL Wild Card Series.
Cam Schlittler was the story early. He went 6.1 innings, allowed just two hits, walked one, and struck out ten. Boston's lineup simply couldn't solve him. Then Ben Rice turned the game into a rout late, driving in six runs including a grand slam.
For six innings, this looked like a tight, low-scoring game. New York scored one run in the second and another in the fifth, and that 2-0 lead held into the seventh. Boston, meanwhile, managed just three hits all night and never got anything going against Schlittler.
Then the eighth inning happened. New York put up five runs in that frame alone, with Rice's grand slam being the backbreaker. By the time it was over, the Yankees had 12 hits and nine runs, and the Red Sox had been shut out entirely. Final score: 9-0.
This is the seventh time these two teams have met in the playoffs, and the rivalry doesn't need much of an introduction. Yankees manager Aaron Boone acknowledged as much before the series even started, referencing the decades of postseason history between the clubs, from Bucky Dent to Pedro Martinez to Dave Roberts.
New York finished the regular season 93-68, second in the AL East behind Tampa Bay. Boston finished third at 87-75. That gap showed up in the standings, but it's worth remembering the Red Sox got here on the back of a genuine turnaround under new management this summer, which is part of why oddsmakers still gave them a real shot heading into Game 1.
History leans Yankees, though. New York beat Boston in last year's Wild Card Series 2-1, and has now won the last two postseason meetings between the two teams dating back to that series.
Red Sox manager Chad Tracy had already been dealing with roster uncertainty going into the series. Ace left-hander Garrett Crochet, who hadn't pitched since April due to shoulder inflammation, was a late addition to the Wild Card roster and available only out of the bullpen. He didn't factor into Tuesday's game.
Boston also went into the series with lineup questions, including whether catcher Willson Contreras would be ready for the opener. The offense, which had gone quiet in the final stretch of the regular season, picked a bad night to stay quiet. Payton Tolle started for Boston and didn't get the results New York's Schlittler did.
Boston now has to win Wednesday night just to force a Game 3. Sonny Gray takes the mound for the Red Sox against Max Fried for the Yankees, with first pitch again at 8 p.m. at Yankee Stadium.
If New York wins Wednesday, the series ends 2-0 and Boston's season is over. If the Red Sox win, the two teams play a decisive Game 3 back in the Bronx on Thursday, October 1, with Carlos Rodon or Gerrit Cole looming as possible Yankees starters.
Whoever wins this series moves on to face the Tampa Bay Rays, this year's AL East champions, in the next round. For New York, that's the more immediate concern. For Boston, right now, survival comes first.
Game 1 answered one question clearly: Schlittler is pitching like someone who wants the ball in elimination games. Whether Boston's bats can answer back Wednesday is the only thing that matters for the next 24 hours.
