There will be a decisive Game 3 of the American League Wild Card Series between the rival New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.
After dropping Game 1, New York fought back with a dramatic 4-3 victory in Wednesday’s Game 2 at Yankee Stadium. Austin Wells and Jazz Chisholm Jr. played the hero roles in the bottom of the eighth with the latter working a tough walk and then coming around to score on the former’s game-winning hit.
As a result, there will be a win-or-go-home Game 3 on Thursday in front of what figures to be a raucous Yankees crowd. The winner of that one will face the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL Division Series.
That Chisholm scored the winning run and played impressive defense was notable because he did not start in the Game 1 loss. He provided a spark in the win, though, and drew plenty of reaction from social media:
With their backs against the wall well before that eighth-inning drama, the Yankees wasted no time striking against Red Sox starter Brayan Bello when Ben Rice launched a two-run homer into a roaring crowd during the first to seize an early lead.Â
It seemed like the home team was going to cruise at that point, especially when it knocked Bello out of the game after just 2.1 innings. However, Boston’s bullpen was fresh after Garrett Crochet and Aroldis Chapman were the only pitchers needed during Tuesday’s win and kept the visitors well within striking distance.
That bullpen prevented any more early damage and allowed Boston to come back to tie the game when Trevor Story drove home two with a single in the third inning. And Story was there again in the sixth to provide an answer to Aaron Judge’s fifth-inning RBI single with a solo homer to tie it.
Yankees starter Carlos Rodón was largely effective across his six innings when he was facing anyone else but Story, but the shortstop’s individual heroics made it a bullpen game.
And both offenses missed opportunities against those bullpens with the Yankees stranding two runners in the sixth when Zack Kelly struck out Anthony Volpe and the Red Sox stranding the bases loaded in the seventh when Fernando Cruz retired Story.
But the Bronx Bombers delivered in the biggest moment.
Garrett Whitlock has been downright unhittable out of the bullpen for the Red Sox of late, but Chisholm worked a two-out walk and came around to score all the way from first on Wells’ RBI single down the line.
It put New York ahead for good, and David Bednar shut the door on Boston in the ninth to preserve the Yankees’ season.
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