ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Yankees left Yankee Stadium on Sunday with a 16-1 win, a season-series tiebreaker over Boston and another reminder that even a six-run lead can carry October consequences. What followed had little to do with the final score and everything to do with how the final innings were played.
New York broke open a scoreless game with five runs in the fifth after a disputed no-catch ruling involving Boston center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela. Heliot Ramos hit a three-run homer, Paul Goldschmidt drove in two, and Will Warren delivered seven-plus innings of one-run ball. Ranger Suárez took the loss. There was no save.
The Yankees then turned the eighth into a nine-run avalanche. Jazz Chisholm Jr. stole second and third with New York leading 7-1. Austin Wells followed with a two-run homer and later homered again in the same inning. Goldschmidt and José Caballero also went deep as the Yankees secured a 7-6 season-series edge over the Red Sox.
Chisholm finished Sunday 2-for-3 with three runs, two walks and two stolen bases, reaching 40 steals for the season. The Yankees had entered the eighth with a tired bullpen and a six-run advantage, but Boston still had six outs remaining. New York’s decision to keep pressing became the flashpoint of a rivalry argument that followed both teams into September.
The surge of frustration emanting from the Red Sox radio booth called for on-field violence and became a lingering controversy.
Booth criticism turns into a player-safety dispute
Red Sox radio play-by-play announcer Will Flemming criticized Chisholm during the eighth inning, calling him a “bush league player” who “plays the game the wrong way.” Flemming also suggested Boston reliever Jovani Moran should hit Wells and fight Chisholm.
By Monday, the reaction had followed the Yankees to Angel Stadium. Chisholm said he woke up unaware of the uproar and rejected the idea that he had done anything wrong after Boston stopped holding him on.
Chisholm reduced his view of the broadcast to one line.
“That’s just showing how unprofessional he is,” Chisholm said.
Aaron Judge focused on the suggestion that an opposing pitcher should retaliate physically. The Yankees captain also stressed Sunday’s playoff implications.
Judge made clear which part bothered him most.
“Not too happy hearing broadcasters talking about trying to injure and hurt a player. He needs to clean that up,” Judge said.
Boone says the steals came from Yankees dugout
The criticism of Chisholm ran into one central fact: Aaron Boone said the decision to run came from him.
The Yankees manager said he initially did not plan to send Chisholm with a six-run lead. That changed when Boston stopped holding him on. Boone said he alerted the Red Sox dugout and would not treat the game as over with another Boston inning remaining.
Boone defended the choice after speaking with Flemming on Monday.
“I felt like we did the right thing,” Boone said.
Carlos Rodon was more direct about the broader complaint that the Yankees should have eased off.
“Pitch better,” Rodon said.
Boston’s booth viewed the steals as stat-padding. The Yankees viewed them as game management tied to playoff positioning and bullpen usage. Chisholm also pointed to Boston’s 12-1 win over New York in August 2025, when the Red Sox scored seven in the ninth.
The disputed steals preceded 56.3% of New York’s runs
The sequence itself complicates the claim that the game was functionally over.
Chisholm’s steals were his 39th and 40th, putting him at the American League lead at the time and one shy of a career high. Wells then homered him in, and the Yankees scored nine in the inning, 56.3% of New York’s total.
Wells became the sixth Yankees player to homer twice in one inning and the first since Gleyber Torres on Sept. 21, 2022.
Flemming apologizes and says threats followed
Flemming apologized publicly Monday and spoke with Boone, acknowledging that his comments crossed a line.
Flemming also said he had been receiving “nonstop calls and threats.” The available statements do not establish that they were death threats, and their nature has not been independently verified publicly.
His apology did not name Chisholm or Wells. Chisholm said Flemming had not contacted him directly and made clear he was not waiting for that conversation.
“I didn’t even know who that was until this morning,” Chisholm said.
Boone accepted the apology and called the matter water under the bridge. Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy also treated it as a low priority. Flemming was already scheduled off Boston’s Seattle series, so his Monday absence was not presented as discipline.
The backlash widened. Cam Schlittler responded to Flemming’s apology on Instagram with a clown emoji. Hall of Famer CC Sabathia replied with a middle-finger emoji, and Knicks guard Josh Hart called for the Red Sox to remove the announcer.
The Yankees have moved on to the Angels, but the dispute remains. What began with two stolen bases now sits at the intersection of rivalry etiquette, broadcaster conduct and player safety.
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