NEW YORK — The New York Yankees’ playoff hopes are in serious jeopardy after a crushing 3-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium.
Max Fried pitched brilliantly, and Anthony Volpe supplied the lone offense. But when manager Aaron Boone turned the game over to his bullpen in the seventh inning with a one-run lead, the weakness that haunted the Yankees all season resurfaced at the worst moment.
Luke Weaver came on with a 1-0 lead and failed to retire a single batter. Three hitters later, Boston held a 2-1 edge that it never surrendered. The Yankees now head into Wednesday’s elimination game with their season on the line.
“We are going to show up Wednesday, and I expect us to do pretty well,” Boone said after the defeat.
Bullpen breakdown costs Yankees dearly
Max Fried carried a shutout into the seventh inning. He threw 102 pitches across 6 1/3 innings and worked out of jams in the middle frames. As the Yankees ace walked off to a standing ovation, the left-hander had done everything asked of him in his postseason debut with New York.
But Weaver’s entry changed the game. He jumped ahead 0-2 against Ceddanne Rafaela, seemingly on the verge of escaping the inning. Instead, Rafaela fouled off six pitches before earning an 11-pitch walk.
“That’s a real tough one to swallow when you know you had him in an advantage count,” Weaver said.
Nick Sogard followed with a sharp liner into right-center, stretching it into a double against Aaron Judge’s weakened throwing arm. That left two runners in scoring position. Pinch hitter Masataka Yoshida wasted no time, delivering a two-run single to center.
The Yankees’ lead was gone in an instant, and Boston never looked back.
The Red Sox added insurance in the ninth when Alex Bregman ripped an RBI double off closer David Bednar, pushing the score to 3-1.
Crochet dominates Yankees lineup
While Fried was strong, Boston ace Garrett Crochet stole the spotlight. The hard-throwing lefty carved up the Yankees, striking out 11 over 7 2/3 innings and allowing just one run on four hits.
After Volpe’s home run in the second inning, Crochet retired 17 straight batters. He issued no walks and consistently touched triple digits with his fastball while mixing in sharp breaking pitches.
“He’s the best pitcher in the game,” Judge said.
The Yankees had their best shot in the opening inning. Paul Goldschmidt and Judge singled on the first four pitches of the game, sending the crowd into a frenzy. But Crochet regrouped. He fanned Cody Bellinger with a 99 mph fastball and induced Giancarlo Stanton into a double-play grounder to end the rally.
That missed chance loomed large. By the eighth inning, Crochet had pushed his pitch count past 90, yet he breezed through, striking out two more hitters before handing the ball to Aroldis Chapman.
Volpe provides lone bright spot
The Yankees’ offense mustered only four hits, with Volpe collecting two.
His first came in the second inning. Down 1-2 in the count, Volpe got a pitch over the plate and lifted it to right field for a 382-foot home run. The blast, his second career postseason homer, gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead and ignited the crowd at Yankee Stadium.
Volpe added a single in the eighth. After Chapman balked him to second base, the tying run stood in scoring position. But Jose Caballero’s flyout ended the threat.
Despite battling through a partial labrum tear this season, the Yankees shortstop continued to show his October knack. Last year, he hit a grand slam in Game 4 of the World Series.
Late rally falls short
The ninth inning gave New York one final chance. Goldschmidt, Judge and Bellinger loaded the bases with none out against Chapman, the former Yankees closer who has enjoyed a career resurgence in Boston.
The tying run stood on second base. The winning run reached first. Yankee Stadium shook with anticipation.
But Stanton struck out on four pitches. Jazz Chisholm Jr., who entered the game in the eighth for defense, flied out to shallow right, not deep enough to score Goldschmidt.
Chapman sealed it by blowing a 101.2 mph fastball past Trent Grisham for his fourth strikeout. The Yankees ended the night 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
“We’ve been doing it all year,” Judge said. “Lot of veterans in this clubhouse that have been through some stuff. Lot of this team going to the postseason last year, been to the World Series, been in some tough moments. Go out there and play our game and we’ll be good.”
Fried delivers in debut
Overshadowed by the loss was Fried’s excellent outing for the Yankees. He allowed only four hits and three walks while striking out six across 6 1/3 scoreless innings.
His biggest moment came in the fourth. With runners on second and third and one out, Fried fell behind Jarren Duran 3-0. He fought back, evened the count, and then got Duran to chase a sweeper out of the zone for a critical strikeout. The Yankees ace slapped his glove in celebration, knowing he had escaped a dangerous jam.
“I definitely exerted a lot of energy trying to get out of that, but I definitely had enough in the tank for whatever the team needed,” Fried said.
The Yankees will turn to their Game 2 starter Wednesday night against Boston right-hander Brayan Bello. Down one game in the best-of-three series, they must find answers in the bullpen or face a swift postseason exit.
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