Tonight, with the whole season on the line, the New York Yankees faced the Boston Red Sox in the 2021 AL wild-card game. Although the Red Sox won more games in the regular season, causing the game to be played at Fenway Park in Boston, the last time the two teams met, the Yankees swept the Red Sox. They wanted just one more win tonight to get to the divisional series against the Tampa Bay Rays. Unfortunately, it was not to be the hitters didn’t hit, and the pitchers didn’t pitch well. The final score was the Boston Red Sox 7 and the New York Yankees 2. Tonight starts the long offseason of discontent.
The Yankees tried to put their best foot forward by sending their ace Gerrit Cole to the mound to face the Red Sox Nathan Eovaldi, a former Yankee pitcher. Cole was 16-8 with an ERA of 3.23 and an incredible 243 strikeouts. Cole has pitched to the Red Sox four times this season, with the Yankees losing two games.
The Red Sox sent Nathan Eovaldi to the mound to hold down the Yankees. Eovaldi is a former Yankee pitcher (2015-16, 23-11). With the Red, Sox Eovaldi has been 20-15 with an ERA of 4.11. This season he is 11-9 with an ERA of 3.75. The Yankees and Eovaldi have met in the postseason once before. In 2018 in game three of the divisional series, he pitched seven innings in the 16-1 Yankee loss, the Yankees’ most lopsided loss in their postseason history.
Eovaldi is coming off a September 29th win over the Baltimore Orioles when he gave up only four hits in a scoreless effort, striking out 7. Still, on the 24th, he lasted only 2.2 innings against the Yankees giving up seven earned runs in the Yankee win. Over the 2021 season, Eovaldi has a 2-4 record against the Yankees.
In the game, Anthony Rizzo led off the first inning against Eovaldi and ground out to first. Aaron Judge flew out to right for the second out. Then, Giancarlo Stanton singled to the monster. Joey Gallo struck out when he couldn’t hold up. At the bottom, Kyle Schwarber led off and flew out to Gardner in centerfield. Kiki Hernandez popped out to Torres at second. Rafael Devers walked. Xander Bogaerts homered to left-center, driving in Devers for the Red Sox two-run lead in the first. Alex Verdugo flew out, but the damage was done. Red Sox 2 Yankees 0.
Gleyber Torres led off the second inning by flying out to right field. Brett Gardner struck out. Gio Urshela singled to the right side. Kyle Higashioka struck out to leave Gio stranded. At the bottom, Hunter Renfroe struck out. Kevin Plawecki doubled to the centerfield wall. Bobby Dalbec struck out. Christian Arroyo struck out stranding one. Red Sox 2 Yankees 0.
The third inning was led off by Andrew Velazquez, who flew out to left field. Rizzo struck out swinging. Judge flew out to the right-center wall to end the half. Schwarber led off the bottom and homered to right field. Hernandez singled. Devers walked, and that knocked the Yankee ace out of the game. Xander Bogaerts faced Clay Holmes and struck out. Verdugo hit into a double play to end the inning, but the Red Sox picked up another run. Red Sox 3 Yankees 0.
Giancarlo Stanton led off the top of the fourth and struck out swinging. Gallo flew out to center field. Torres flew out to center as Eovaldi had his way with Yankee hitters. At the bottom, Renfroe faced Holmes still on the mound for the Yankees and singled up the center. Plawecki hit into a double play for two outs in the inning. Dalbec flew out to far-right to end the inning. Red Sox 3 Yankees 0.
Brett Gardner led off the fifth inning by striking out. Urshela flew out. Higashioka struck out to end another Yankees scoreless inning. At the bottom, Christian Arroyo against new Yankee pitcher Luis Severino ground out to second. Schwarber ground out to first. Hernandez flew out to Judge in right as Severino put down the side in order. Boston 3 New York 0.
The sixth inning was led off by Rougie Odor pinch-hitting for Anthony Velazquez, and Odor went down on three pitches. Rizzo homered into the right-field stands. Judge beat out a roller to short for a single, knocking Eovaldi out of the game. Stanton facing new pitcher Ryan Brasier and doubled with Judge in a baserunning mistake trying to reach home, was out at the plate. Gallo popped out to third, but the Yankees got on the board with the Rizzo homer. At the bottom, Devers struck out. Bogaerts walked. Verdugo doubled with Bogaerts scoring from first. Renfroe, against new pitcher Jonathan Loaisiga walked. Travis Shaw pinch-hitting for Plawecki struck out. Dalbec struck out to end the inning. Boston 4 New York Yankees 1.
Glyber Torres led off the seventh inning against Tanner Houck and flew out to center. Gardner stuck out swinging. Urshela struck out for another 1-2-3 inning for Red Sox pitching. Arroyo led off the bottom and ground out to third. Schwarber, who homered in the game, walked. Hernandez walked, and that was it for Loaisiga. Chad Green came in and faced Devers, who flew out to Gardner with the runners staying put. Bogaerts walked for the third walk of the inning. With the bases loaded and two outs, Verdugo doubled with a run scoring and Verdugo out at second. Red Sox 6 Yankees 1.
In the eighth inning, with the New York Yankees down by five runs, Gary Sanchez pinch-hitting for Higashioka lined out to center. Odor flew out to center. Rizzo, who scored the only Yankee run, struck out to end the half. At the bottom, Renfroe struck out. Christain Vazquez, in his first at bat, went down on strikes. Dalbec ground out to third. Red Sox 6 Yankees 1.
The New York Yankees, with lack licks on the line in the top of the ninth, Aaron Judge ground out to short. Then, Giancarlo Stanton homered around the Pesky Pole in right. Next, Gallo flew out to the warning track in right field. Finally, Gleyber Torres flew out to right to end the season for the New York Yankees.
The wild card final score was the Boston Red Sox 6 and the New York Yankees 2. The winning pitcher was Nathan Eovaldi, and the loser was Gerrit Cole.