NEW YORK — The Yankees didn’t need a barrage of home runs or doubles to take down Boston. They used their legs.
In a decisive Game 3 of the American League Wild Card round on Thursday night, New York turned a tense fourth inning into a parade of runs that led to a 4-0 victory at Yankee Stadium. The win sent the Yankees to the Division Series against the Toronto Blue Jays.
This was not about power. It was about hustle, baserunning, and forcing the Red Sox into mistakes.
Rookies keep one upmanship until third
For three innings, it looked like the night would be remembered for pitching. Yankees rookie Cam Schlittler and Red Sox rookie Connelly Early went toe-to-toe.
Early, who began the year in Double-A and entered with only four major league starts, carved through the Yankees early. He struck out five batters, walked none, and allowed only two hits.
Schlittler matched him. The right-hander, who ends up with a record win, used his velocity to punch out five Boston hitters while yielding two hits in four innings. The scoreboard stayed locked at 0-0, and tension built inside the Stadium.
That changed in the fourth.
A shallow fly ball sparks chaos
Cody Bellinger started the inning with a ball that should have been an easy out. He lifted a shallow fly to center, a play that gets made almost every time.
But three Red Sox defenders converged. Center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela, right fielder Wilyer Abreu, and second baseman Romy Gonzalez all chased it. The ball bounced off Rafaela’s glove and dropped.
Bellinger never slowed. He sprinted into second base with a hustle double that shifted the inning.
Giancarlo Stanton drew a walk, giving the Yankees two men on with no outs. Ben Rice struck out, and Amed Rosario stepped up with a chance to change the game.
Rosario delivers when it matters
Boone’s choice to start Amed Rosario raised eyebrows. He went 0-for-3 in Game 1 against Boston ace Garrett Crochet, and Boone admitted later he regretted lifting him early in that game.
This time Boone stuck with him. Rosario rewarded the decision.
He drilled a 108 mph grounder past shortstop Trevor Story and into left field. Bellinger raced home, sliding past a shaky throw from Jarren Duran. The Yankees led 1-0.
“I appreciate Aaron Boone,” Rosario said. “He believed in me and gave me an opportunity. It felt great.”
Rosario had come close earlier. He flied out in the second inning but adjusted.
“I felt I had him in the second inning and if he threw me something up again, I’d be ready,” Rosario said.
When asked if he was certain it would get through, he didn’t hesitate. “One hundred percent,” he said.
Volpe adds to the pressure
Anthony Volpe followed with a soft RBI single past second baseman Gonzalez. The lead grew to 2-0.
Early, who had been sharp, unraveled. He could not find the strike zone, and the Yankees kept applying pressure. After just one out in the inning, his night ended.
But the Yankees kept pushing.
Wells finds a way through
Austin Wells nearly reached base when catcher’s interference was called. The ruling was overturned, but he made it count.
On the next pitch, Wells hit a grounder that ricocheted off first baseman Nathaniel Lowe’s glove. Two more runs scored. The Yankees led 4-0.
The Stadium erupted.
None of the runs came from home runs or line drives off the wall. Every score came through execution, hustle, and capitalizing on mistakes.
The Yankees had broken open a pitchers’ duel with a single inning fueled by speed and pressure.
Schlittler shuts the door
With a cushion, Schlittler settled in. The rookie wrapped up his postseason debut with five strikeouts and only two hits allowed across four innings. His effort gave the bullpen a safe margin to close out the series.
Boston never threatened after the fourth. Their bats went quiet, and their defense never recovered from the chaos.
By the sixth inning, Rosario had been replaced at third by Ryan McMahon. But the damage had been done. The Yankees had all the runs they needed, and more importantly, they proved they could win without the long ball.
What the trade deadline brought for Yankees
The Yankees acquired Rosario from the Nationals at the trade deadline in what many saw as a mixed set of moves. But Thursday showed why general manager Brian Cashman made that call.
Rosario has become a weapon against left-handed pitching while giving serviceable defense across the infield. Boone explained before the game why he trusted Rosario in that spot.
“The key for me was to look for a good, high pitch and put my best swing on it,” Rosario said.
His confidence mattered. He entered the game hitless in his last three regular-season contests and 0-for-3 in Game 1. His single not only gave the Yankees a lead but also renewed his belief at the plate.
Rosario and fellow deadline pickup Jose Caballero are expected to play key roles moving forward. Toronto’s rotation is mostly right-handed, but Boone has made clear that Rosario will stay in the mix.
Legs, not lumber, carry the day
For one night, the Yankees didn’t need their trademark power. They won with hustle and speed.
That fourth inning flipped the script. Bellinger’s sprint, Rosario’s clutch single, Volpe’s follow-up, and Wells’ grounder changed everything.
The Yankees are moving on to the ALDS. And they did it the hard way.
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