Red Sox Overmatched By Yankees in AL Wild Card For Second Year in a Row

To quote the late Yogi Berra, "It's deja vu all over again."

For the second year in a row, the Boston Red Sox were overmatched in the AL Wild Card Series by the New York Yankees. 

Only this time it was worse. A year ago, the ALWC went the full three games.

This year the Yankees swept the Red Sox outscoring them 18-2.

Yankees ace and likely 2026 AL Cy Young Award winner Cam Schlittler was a big part of the deja vu as he fanned 10 batters in 6.1 innings pitched while Ben Rice hit 2 HR and knocked in 6 runs en route to a 9-0 win in Game 1. Both Yankees are natives of Massachusetts.

Things looked better tonight. In the middle of the sixth inning, the Yankees were up 2-1 with the Red Sox scoring their first run of the ALWC on a solo HR by Wilson Contreras. But then the Yankees scored six runs in the bottom of the sixth highlighted by a 3-run HR by Cody Bellinger who had 4 RBI tonight. The Sox would score one other run on a solo HR by Nick Sogard in the 8th inning. But the Red Sox simply could not put together a rally.

Methinks that Red Sox manager Chad Tracy didn't help matters by lifting starting pitchers Peyton Tolle and Sonny Gray before five innings were in the book and with gas in their tanks. Of course, it might not have made a difference. Tracy could have left them in and had either of them been lit up, Red Sox Nation would demand to know why he didn't lift his starters.

In the grand scheme of things, it is a small miracle the Red Sox reached the post-season at all given the early dismissal of Alex Cora and having the worst record in the AL in late June. Tracy exceeded all expectations in the regular season and justly earned a chance to manage the team on a full-time basis.

However, in this series, the Yankees were once again the better team. 

The Bronx Bombers advance to the ALDS against the AL East champion Tampa Bay Rays starting Friday evening in St. Petersburg. In the other ALDS, the Chicago White Sox will face the AL Central champion Cleveland Guardians after sweeping the Houston Astros in their ALWC matchup.

As always, anybody but the Yankees.