Kyle Schwarber hit a game winning solo homerun and Nathan Eovaldi pitched into the sixth inning on Tuesday night, as the Boston Red Sox advanced to the American League Division Series by defeating the New York Yankees 6-2 at Fenway Park in the A.L. Wild Card Game.
Boston, who had lost six of the last seven regular season games against New York but owned a 10-9 series edge, didn’t take long to take the early lead. With two outs in the first inning Rafael Devers walked, and then Xander Bogaerts took Cole into the bleachers in center on a 2-1 pitch to make it 2-0. Schwarber planted a high fastball from the right hander deep into the stands in right to lead off the bottom of the third to extend the lead in what turned out to be the game winner. Kike Hernandez followed with an infield single and then Devers walked to end the night for Cole. The Sox couldn’t extend the lead though as reliever Clay Holmes struck out Bogaerts and got Alex Verdugo to ground into a double play. The Yankees finally got to Eovaldi with one out in the sixth when Anthony Rizzo wrapped one around pesky pole in right for a solo homer. Aaron Judge followed with a single and that would end the night for Eovaldi. New York blew a chance for more runs when Giancarlo Stanton hit one off the wall in left center off Ryan Brasier, and Judge was waved home but Bogaerts took the relay throw from center fielder Kike Hernandez and fired to Kevin Plawecki who tagged him out at home plate. Joey Gallo popped out to third base to end that half of the inning without any further damage. Verdugo helped Boston add on in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI double and then slapped a two out, two-run single to left field with the bases loaded in the seventh. Stanton got one back in the ninth with a one out solo homer to right, but it was too little too late as the pinstrippers who had big World Series expectations this season ended the year with a final record of 92-71.
Eovaldi (1-0) had a final line of 5.1 innings allowing one run on four hits with no walks and eight strikeouts in picking up the win. The bullpen arms of Brasier, Tanner Houck, Hansel Robles, and Garrett Whitlock combined to allow just one run on two hits. Verdugo had two hits and three RBI as the Red Sox record goes to 93-70. It was another disappointing end of the season for Cole (0-1) only going the 2+ innings and gave up three runs on four hits. Stanton had three of the six hits for the Yankees. Boston now faces another rival in American League Eastern Division Champion Tampa Bay (100-62) in the best of five ALDS that begins in Tampa Bay Thursday night at 8:07 p.m. The Rays have announced Shane McClanahan (10-6, 3.43 ERA) as their game one starter, while the Red Sox haven’t announced their starter yet. Tampa Bay won the season series over Boston 11-8.
Before the Wild Card Game started at Fenway Tuesday night, former Red Sox player and long time broadcaster Jerry Remy threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Remy, who has battled lung cancer off and on since 2008 and hasn’t been in the broadcast booth since August 4 while undergoing treatment, threw the first pitch to another former MLB player, Red Sox alum, and broadcast partner Dennis Eckersley.
