{"id":270907,"date":"2025-10-02T03:52:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T03:52:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/270907\/"},"modified":"2025-10-02T03:52:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T03:52:09","slug":"yankees-red-sox-game-2-takeaways-yankees-slide-past-sox-late-to-force-game-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/270907\/","title":{"rendered":"Yankees-Red Sox Game 2 takeaways: Yankees slide past Sox late to force Game 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Brendan Kuty, Jen McCaffrey and Chris Kirschner<\/strong><\/p>\n

NEW YORK \u2014 The crowd roared, and then the building shook. Austin Wells\u2019 eighth-inning, two-out liner rattled around in the right-field corner long enough for Jazz Chisholm Jr. to chug from first base and score the go-ahead run with a headfirst slide, helping the New York Yankees to a 4-3 win over the Boston Red Sox in Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series on Wednesday night. This time, the Yankees\u2019 bullpen didn\u2019t falter, like it did in Game 1. This time, the Red Sox had to twice erase Yankees\u2019 leads. Both teams\u2019 seasons are on the brink with the elimination Game 3 looming Thursday.<\/p>\n

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Jazz Chisholm Jr. JUST beat the tag #Postseason<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/YYGn1mUw8m<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 MLB (@MLB) October 2, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Don\u2019t forget about this defensive play from Chisholm<\/p>\n

Once again, with a right-handed reliever in the game for the Yankees \u2014 this time Fernando Cruz \u2014 Cora pinch hit Masataka Yoshida for Rob Refsnyder in the seventh inning. Yoshida lined a single to almost the same spot as he did in Game 1, which was the go-ahead two-run single Tuesday. But this time, Chisholm made a diving stop, keeping it in the infield.<\/p>\n

That diving stop kept Nate Eaton from scoring on the play. If the ball gets past Chisholm and into the outfield grass, the Red Sox lead 4-3, and the Yankees are staring down elimination.<\/p>\n

Amed Rosario, who was playing second base in Game 1, could not range to his right Tuesday. With Chisholm at second base Wednesday, he may have saved the Yankees\u2019 season with that defensive play.<\/p>\n

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Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s diving stop ended up saving a run \ud83d\udc40#Postseason<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/2oVTlLD8kw<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 MLB (@MLB) October 2, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Rod\u00f3n does just enough<\/p>\n

Rod\u00f3n kept the Yankees in the game \u2014 even if it wasn\u2019t pretty. He gave them six innings, allowing three runs. It nearly all came apart at the end.<\/p>\n

In the seventh, Rod\u00f3n walked the leadoff man (Eaton) and hit the next batter (Jarren Duran) before Boone removed him at 91 pitches. Fernando Cruz rescued Rod\u00f3n by getting out of the inning unscathed and with the score tied at 3.<\/p>\n

But Rod\u00f3n followed Max Fried\u2019s big Game 1 performance and did just enough, striking out six, walking three and allowing four hits. His biggest blemish came in a two-run third inning when Nick Sogard\u2019s sacrifice bunt with runners on second and first base forced Rod\u00f3n to short-hop a throw to first. Two batters later, Trevor Story\u2019s bases-loaded single scored two to tie the score at 2. Then Rod\u00f3n coughed up a homer to Story to lead off the sixth that tied the game again.<\/p>\n

Could the Yankees have asked for more? Yes. This was Rod\u00f3n\u2019s best year in pinstripes, and he was an All-Star. But he helped the Yankees get to where they needed to be.<\/p>\n

Cora pulls Brayan Bello early, manages bullpen aggressively \u2014 but at what cost?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Just like he did on Friday when the Red Sox clinched their postseason spot<\/a>, manager Alex Cora managed the bullpen aggressively.<\/p>\n

When starter Brayan Bello lacked command through two innings, allowing a two-run homer in the first and putting two on in third, Cora lifted him with one out. Though Bello had a 2.99 ERA through his first 24 starts, he seemingly hit a wall in September with a 5.40 ERA in five starts. With a rested bullpen thanks to 7 2\/3 innings in Game 1 from Garrett Crochet, Cora was able to lean heavily on his relievers.<\/p>\n

He weaved through his bullpen starting with lefty Justin Wilson, who escaped Bello\u2019s two-on, one-out jam, then held the Yankees down through the fourth. But New York tagged Justin Slaten for a run in the fifth when the righty issued a two-out walk and wild pitch, moving a runner into scoring position. Duran\u2019s misplay on an Aaron Judge fly ball to left allowed the go-ahead run to score.<\/p>\n

From there, Steven Matz and Zack Kelly kept New York off the board. With the score tied 3-3 thanks to Trevor Story\u2019s sixth-inning homer, Garrett Whitlock entered in the seventh and allowed a one-out double before getting the next two outs. Cora had used closer Aroldis Chapman for a four-out save on Tuesday and Chapman had only pitched more than one inning one other time this season. So the manager went back to Whitlock for a second inning of work in the eighth and Whitlock nearly escaped before running out of steam.<\/p>\n

He issued a two-out walk to Chisholm, then gave up a Wells single to right, scoring the go-ahead run as Eaton\u2019s throw arrived a second too late at the plate.<\/p>\n

Whitlock hadn\u2019t given up a run since Aug. 17. After he allowed another single and a walk to load the bases, Cora turned to rookie Payton Tolle who finished off the eighth. Whitlock\u2019s 47 pitches marked the most pitches he\u2019d thrown all season, his first since returning from an internal brace procedure.<\/p>\n

(Photo of Jazz Chisholm Jr: Ishika Samant \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n