Yankees conduct defensive drills during AL Wild Card Series workout
Yankees conduct infield drills ahead of the Sept. 30, 2025 AL Wild Card Series opener against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium.
NEW YORK – Get ready for a winner-take-all Game 3 in the Bronx.
Austin Wells’ two-out, go-ahead RBI single in the eighth inning propelled the Yankees to a 4-3 victory in a must-win AL Wild Card Series Game 2 against the Boston Red Sox.
This tense, best-of-three series between baseball’s oldest rivals goes to a decisive Game 3 on Thursday night at Yankee Stadium, with a pair of rookies ready to start.
Cam Schlittler will get the ball for the Yanks, with lefty Connelly Early due to start for Boston.
Here’s our analysis from throughout Game 2:
Austin Wells comes through, Yankees take 4-3 lead
And it’s bedlam here as Austin Wells outlasts Red Sox reliever Garrett Whitlock in a tough, seven-pitch at-bat, lashing a 3-2 sinker for a single to right.
The ball takes a favorable carom at the side wall, allowing Jazz Chisholm Jr. to score from first with the go-ahead run.
Suddenly, Trent Grisham is up with the bases loaded, two out, Aaron Judge on deck, with a chance to break it open vs. rookie lefty Payton Tolle…
Grisham grounds out. Yankees will take a 4-3 lead to the ninth, David Bednar on for the save.
Giancarlo Stanton time? Part II…
He’s up with one out in the eighth…
…and grounds out, putting him at 0-for-8 so far in the series. Jazz up now, and pretty much everyone in the Stadium is standing – locked into this tight game.
Jazz walks. With Volpe on deck, Whitlock stays in to face Austin Wells.
Looking ahead to the Yankees 8th inning
It’s Rice, Stanton, Chisholm after Devin Williams starts a DP and tosses a scoreless top of the eighth, 3-3 game. Whitlock still in for Boston.
Garrett Whitlock in, Aaron Judge looming
Cora goes to the righty reliever to start the home seventh, 3-3 game…
…now do you walk Judge after the one-out Grisham double?
Apparently, you do not, with Bellinger looming on deck. And now Cora’s strategy (or non-strategy) works as Judge strikes out looking.
Bellinger flies out with Rice on deck. We go to the eighth.
Surviving Trevor Story
It’s still Yankees 3, Trevor Story 3, as Fernando Cruz gets Story to fly out to the center field warning track, leaving the bases loaded in the Boston seventh.
Story has driven in all three Boston runs.
And the Sox were prevented from getting the go-ahead run across, on a great stop by Jazz on pinch-hitter Yoshida’s ground single (should Eaton not have broken stride and tried to score when the throw got away from Rice for a moment?) and Wells’ block of a wayward Cruz splitter.
Carlos Rodon exits in top of 7th inning
Fernando Cruz is in, with runners at first and second and none out.
Those were Rodon’s runners, as he did not throw a strike in eight pitches – walking Eaton, tossing a wild pitch and plunking Duran on a 3-0 fastball.
And he kept looking at his left hand, suggesting he might be dealing with a blister?
Yankees, Red Sox tied 3-3 entering 7th inning
Rodon comes out for the seventh, at 83 pitches, set to face Boston’s 6-8 hitters. He’s probably in until the No. 9 hitter, and then it’s the bullpen’s turn vs. Boston’s top-of-the-order righty hitters.
The Yanks’ sixth ends with Volpe – who was ahead 3-0 – looking like he guessed wrong, with an awkward swing at a 3-2 sinker vs. righty Zack Kelly, leaving runners at first and second.
Giancarlo Stanton time?
He’s up with Rice (infield single) on first in the sixth, none out vs. the ex-Met Steven Matz, finally a matchup in the Yanks’ favor…
…and he flies out softly to left. Stanton now 0-for-7 in the series.
Brand new Story, as in Trevor
Trevor Story leads off the Boston sixth with a game-tying homer, Alex Bregman walks on four pitches, and Fernando Cruz is warming up. Rodon at 77 pitches…
…and before the Red Sox stage a greater threat, Ryan McMahon starts a nice DP at third base, turned expertly by Chisholm.
It’s Rice vs. Steven Matz to start the Yankee sixth.
Yankees re-take lead over Red Sox, 3-2
Cora had the matchup he wanted. Slaten had an 0-2 count on Judge, but a wild pitch and a botched play by left fielder Jarren Duran – coming in to catch Judge’s shallow liner – has given the Yanks a 3-2 lead.
Credit Trent Grisham for the two-out walk and alertly moving up on a not-very-wild pitch to get in scoring position in the bottom of the fifth.
Before the next Red Sox lefty enters the game…
It’s Judge vs. righty Justin Slaten, tying run on first in Grisham (walk), here in the home fifth…
…and Grisham moves to second on a wild pitch.
Lefties for days in Red Sox bullpen
Justin Wilson tosses a quick fourth inning, and we move to the fifth, tied at 2-2.
As matchup leverage, Alex Cora has three more lefties in his bullpen (not including Chapman and presumed, potential Game 3 starter Connelly Early).
Right now, Cora has righty Justin Slaten warming up, with Aaron Judge lurking as the fourth batter next inning.
Quick hook for Brayan Bello, Yankees miss an opportunity
Alex Cora only used Aroldis Chapman out of his ‘pen in Game 1 (4 outs, 24 pitches) and he’s going to his bevy of lefty relievers now in the third inning, starting with Justin Wilson vs. Bellinger…
…who flies out to left after the runners move up to second and third. And now, Benny “Barrels” Rice lines out on a 109.4-mph scorcher to right.
If the Yankees face another lefty and Rice is not in the lineup, there will be an investigation.
Aaron Judge vs Brayan Bello
The numbers aren’t pretty in this matchup for the Yanks’ captain, 2-for-22 with no homers vs. Bello, including that first inning groundout tonight…
…but Judge has just singled on a broken bat liner to center, and things are looking up again for the home team, runners at first and second, one out in the third, Bellinger up.
Trouble in Red Sox 3rd inning
Ceddanne Rafaela has a .284 on-base percentage in three MLB seasons. He’s not easy to walk, but he’s now drawn two walks vs. the Yanks – including during the key 11-pitch walk vs. Luke Weaver in Game 1.
Here, the Sox’s No. 8 hitter walks on a full-count fastball vs. Rodon, and helps set up a game-tying, two-run single by Trevor Story.
Rodon’s throwing error on a sac bunt attempt (he’s no Max Fried, but few are) further set up Boston, but Jazz and Volpe turn a terrific DP vs. the dreaded Alex Bregman to get out of further trouble. It’s a 2-2 game.
Ben Rice homers in 1st inning, Yankees lead 2-0
On a two-run homer by Ben Rice, the Yankees take a fast 2-0 lead. After a two-out single by Cody Bellinger, Rice jumps on a first-pitch cutter and drives it over the right field wall.
This was Rice’s first postseason at-bat (he was on last year’s Division Series roster but did not appear) and he further validated the voices in Yankees Universe that want him in the lineup every day this postseason.
Carlos Rodon tosses a 1-2-3 first inning
A quick start for Rodon, striking out Rob Refsnyder and Trevor Story on sliders and getting Alex Bregman to fly out.
Before the game, Aaron Boone said Rodon benefitted from last year’s postseason success.
“He’s still emotional sometimes, but that’s an area where he has improved,’’ Boone said of the veteran lefty, who rebounded in 2024 and 2025 from an injury-plagued and substandard initial season in pinstripes.
That’s not easy to do as a $162 million free agent coming to the Bronx. “(It’s) been a pretty cool success story to see a guy navigate a lot of things,’’ Boone said of watching Rodon become a more refined pitcher.
Bernie Williams throws ceremonial first pitch
And the first ceremonial pitch tonight was tossed out by Bernie Williams; the Game 1 honor went to Willie Randolph.
Asked about his team’s mood entering Game 2, manager Aaron Boone said: “It’s a confident team. We expect to do well and win, that’s no different today.
“You lose a tough one, it can seem like the end of the world,” Boone said evenly. “You’ve got to keep moving, and I expect us to go play well today.”
When is Yankees vs Red Sox Game 3?
Date: Thursday, Oct. 2
Time: 6:08 p.m.
What channel is Yankees vs Red Sox Game 3?
TV: ESPN
Stream Yankees vs. Red Sox games on Fubo (free trial)
Yankees vs Red Sox schedule in AL Wild Card series
Game 1: Tuesday
Boston 3, Yankees 1
Game 2: Wednesday
Yankees 4, Red Sox 3
Game 3: Thursday (if necessary)
Boston at Yankees, 6:08 p.m.
How to buy Yankees playoff tickets
With the AL Wild Card series at Yankee Stadium, here’s how you can still buy tickets.
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