New York won 9-0 and 9-2 to end Boston’s season, which had already featured a comeback from 32-46, while Red Sox manager Chad Tracy said his players only care that they lost
The Rivalry Resumes, Briefly
NEW YORK. The New York Yankees swept the Boston Red Sox in the American League Wild Card Series, winning 9-0 in Game 1 and 9-2 in Game 2 on September 30, according to the AP report on the Yankees’ Wild Card sweep of the Red Sox. Cam Schlittler led the Game 1 shutout. In Game 2, Max Fried pitched six innings, allowing three hits and striking out six, Cody Bellinger hit a three-run homer in the sixth and drove in four runs, and Luis Garcia Jr. homered and had three hits. Boston’s bullpen posted a 20.25 ERA in the series.
For Red Sox fans, the series offered two painful experiences in quick succession: losing to the Yankees, which is the worst thing that can happen to a Boston sports fan, and losing to the Yankees by a combined score of 18-2, which is the worst thing that can happen to a Boston sports fan twice.
The Bullpen
A 20.25 ERA means that, on average, Boston’s relievers allowed more than two runs for every inning they pitched. A statistician at a Boston university attempted to put it in perspective. If you had sent a randomly selected group of Red Sox season ticket holders to the mound, he said, the ERA might have been similar. And at least they would have known the words to Sweet Caroline.
A bar owner on Lansdowne Street said customers watched the relief appearances through their fingers. Every time the bullpen door opened, someone in my bar groaned, he said. By the sixth inning of Game 2, people were not even looking at the screen. They were looking at the floor. One guy ordered a drink called The Bullpen. I do not have a drink called The Bullpen. I made him something with whatever was left. It was terrible. He said it was appropriate.
The Comeback Season
The defeat was particularly painful because the Red Sox had already staged a remarkable recovery to reach the postseason, rebounding from a 32-46 start, according to the AP. For a few weeks in late summer, Boston fans dared to dream. Then the Yankees arrived. A retired schoolteacher from Somerville said the season had followed a familiar Boston pattern. We suffer, we hope, we believe, she said. Then we play the Yankees. It is like a Greek tragedy, except the Greeks did not have to watch it on television with commercials.
The Manager Speaks
Red Sox manager Chad Tracy said his players only care that they lost. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said his team played great baseball in a lot of ways. The contrast between the two statements captured the asymmetry of the rivalry in October: one side reflecting on success, the other on the specific and enduring pain of losing to New York. The AP also noted that leadoff hitter Roman Anthony missed Game 2 with a hand injury.
The Video Review
The game turned in part on a video review that reversed an out call on Spencer Jones after a wild pitch, before the Yankees scored six runs in the sixth inning. Red Sox fans, who have long believed that the universe conspires against them in games against New York, saw the reversal as further evidence. A Boston talk radio caller said the review proved his theory. Every time something close happens against the Yankees, it goes their way, he said. I have been saying this since 1978. Bucky Dent. Aaron Boone in 2003. Now this. The host pointed out that Boston had won four titles since 2004. The caller said that was irrelevant.
New York’s Brief Joy
Yankees fans enjoyed the sweep enormously, as Yankees fans always enjoy beating Boston. Unfortunately for them, the joy was short-lived. In the next round, the Tampa Bay Rays swept the Yankees 3-0 in the Division Series, ending their season a week later. Boston fans, still nursing their wounds, found unexpected comfort in this development. A Red Sox fan in Dorchester was candid. I hate the Rays, she said. Except this week. This week, I love the Rays. I sent them a card.
The Off-Season Begins
For the Red Sox, the early exit begins a winter of soul-searching, with the bullpen certain to dominate discussion. Front office executives will study the numbers, and fans will offer suggestions on sports radio, many of which will involve trading everyone. A veteran Boston sportswriter predicted the conversation would be civil, measured and constructive. Then he laughed for a long time and said he was joking.
The Last Word
On Yawkey Way, now Jersey Street, a father and his young son walked past Fenway Park the morning after the elimination. The boy, wearing a Red Sox cap, looked up at the empty ballpark and asked his father whether the team would be better next year. The father considered the question carefully, as Boston fathers have done for generations. Probably, he said. The boy asked if they would beat the Yankees. The father put his hand on the boy’s shoulder. Son, he said, that is the only question that has ever mattered in this city. Then they went to get breakfast, because whatever happens to the bullpen, Boston always has doughnuts.