As we saw in last year’s Wild Card Series matchup against this very Red Sox team, winning Game 1 — even in a best-of-three series — doesn’t actually guarantee you victory. However, you’d still rather win it than not. You’d also especially rather win it in fairly easy fashion and leave your opponent looking for answers. While there’s still one more game to win, the Yankees couldn’t have gotten this year’s Wild Card Series off to a better start.
A year after shutting down Boston in a memorable AL Wild
Card Series Game 3, Schlittler put in another gem, this time around in Game 1. Over 6.1 innings, Schlittler allowed just two hits and a walk while striking out 10 batters. No Red Sox batter even got beyond first base while the Yankees’ ace was in the game.
As for the offense, they were dealing with a pretty good pitcher themselves in Boston’s Payton Tolle. While they eked across one run against the lefty, once they got into the Red Sox bullpen, the floodgates opened. Led by a massive game from Ben Rice — four hits and six RBI — the Yankees crushed Boston’s bullpen for eight runs. What was once a pitchers’ duel morphed in to a laugher, the Yankees pulling away late to take Game 1 of the series 9-0.
While the Yankees couldn’t cash in on a Rice double in the first inning, they did get on the board in the second. After George Lombard Jr. singled after working the count, Anthony Volpe recorded a single two batters later. There was some consternation that Lombard was held at second on the single, but it didn’t end up mattering in the end as Austin Wells singled two batters after that, semi-comfortably scoring Lombard.
The Yankees had some other slight opportunities against Tolle, but weren’t able to cash in. With two outs in the fourth, Chad Tracy made his move to the bullpen, brining in Erik Miller for Tolle. The Yankees took immediate advantage of that, as Ben Rice took a Miller offering deep to dead center field. It cleared the fence and went into Monument Park to double the Yankees’ advantage.
Despite being up over 100 pitches, the Yankees brought Schlittler back out for the seventh. He got one quick out, but then gave up a single to Wilyer Abreu for just the second hit of the day for Boston. That’s what brought Aaron Boone out of the dugout to go to the bullpen. Paul Blackburn came in and got Ceddanne Rafaela to ground into an inning-ending double play, with the throw just beating Rafaela to the bag.
While that seventh inning didn’t see Boston draw closer, it did hammer home the need for insurance runs. They Yankees went on to get some in the bottom of the frame. Singles from Spencer Jones and Wells and a walk from Paul Goldschmidt loaded the bases before Boston had recorded an out. Rice then added another RBI, this one just a single that scored a run. Luis García Jr. was then sent up as a pinch-hitter and looked like he might’ve plated another couple by poking through a single. However, a great diving stop by Red Sox second baseman Nick Sogard instead turned it into a double play. Another run did score, but it prevented the Yankees from putting up an even more crooked number for the inning.
Blackburn remained in for the eighth and threw another scoreless frame. He did allow the first Boston runner to reach scoring position when Trevor Story doubled, but he stranded him there to keep the shutout intact.
After getting robbed of some further insurance in the seventh, the Yankees got plenty more in the eighth. After George Lombard Jr.’s third hit of the day, the Yankees again benefited from some walks, as Ryan McMahon and Jones reached base on them. Wells then hit a semi-deep fly ball to right field that was enough for Lombard to tag up and score. Following a Goldschmidt walk to reload the bases, Rice delivered the killer blow. He added to his big night with a grand slam to put the game out of reach.
With the 1-0 edge, the Yankees will go for the series victory tomorrow night, also at 8:00 p.m ET. Max Fried for the Yankees and Sonny Gray for the Red Sox are expected to be the starting pitchers.
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