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The New York Yankees again eliminated the Boston Red Sox and advanced to the American League Division Series with a blunt performance at Yankee Stadium.
New York won the second game of the Wild Card series 9-2 and completed the sweep 2-0 against its historic rival. After winning 9-0 in the first match, the Yankees returned to produce nine runs and closed a series in which practically every aspect of the game was dominated.
Cody Bellinger led the offensive with four RBIs, Max Fried He controlled Boston for six innings and the Lineup received input from different places despite playing the entire series without Aaron Judge.
Cody Bellinger gave the final blow against Boston
The game remained closed during the first innings, but Bellinger ended up being one of the great protagonists of the night.
after that Luis Garcia Jr. Opened the scoring with a solo home run in the fourth inning, Bellinger produced New York's second run in the fifth episode with a single that took a runner to the plate.
His most important hit came one inning later.
The Yankees had built a rally in the sixth and Boston decided to give him an intentional ballbase to Ben Rice. Bellinger then reached the plate with riders in circulation and punished a change of speed from Garrett Whitlock with a three-run homer to right-centered.
The hit extended New York's lead to 8-1 and practically sented Boston's season.
A sixth inning that completely broke the game
The sixth-episode Rally showed several of the features that have allowed these Yankees to survive without some of their main figures.
Spencer Jones He started the inning by striking out with a runaway shot, but ran to First and managed to get still after the Yankees requested a review of the play.
Jones immediately stole second baseman and advanced to third when the catcher's shot ended up out of control. George Lombard Jr. He took him to the plate with a single and New York began to increase the pressure on the Boston bullpen.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Trent Grisham singles were connected to fill the bases before they Austin Wells produced a career with a sacrifice fly.
Ryan McMahon He added another with a ride and, after the intentional base to Rice, Bellinger appeared with the home run that turned a closed game into a practically definitive advantage.
Max Fried responded again in a big match
As the offensive found the time to explode, Max Fried was in charge of keeping Boston under control.
The left-hander worked six innings, allowed only three hits and one run, gave a walk and finished with six strikeouts.
Fried came to the postseason as one of the most important pieces of the rotation and responded at the moment when the Yankees had the opportunity to close the series without having to play a third game.
The only race he allowed came with a home run from Willson Contreras in the sixth inning.
His performance followed the path marked by Cam Schlittler In Game 1, when the right young man completely dominated Boston during the 9-0 victory.
The Yankees dominated the series even without Aaron Judge
One of the biggest questions before the Wild Card was how he would answer the offensive without Aaron Judge.
The captain was left out of the roster due to the right calf injury, but New York found production almost everywhere in the lineup.
In only two games, the Yankees scored 18 runs and hit 26 hits.
Ben Rice was the offensive figure of the first match with two home runs and six RBIs. In the second, Bellinger took over with four produced, while Garcia Jr., Lombard Jr., Wells, McMahon and other players also contributed.
Boston, on the other hand, finished the series with just seven hits and two runs.
Luis García Jr. reappeared at an important moment
The score remained 0-0 until the fourth inning, when Luis García Jr. hit a sweater from Sonny Gray and sent the ball out of the park.
The home run opened the Yankees offense and forced Boston to start playing from behind.
García Jr. has become an important piece within a lineup that has had to reinvent itself several times during the season.
His ability to produce in different places of the offensive order was once again demonstrated in the match that ended up sending the Yankees to the next round.
Another Boston elimination at the hands of the Yankees
The victory also wrote another recent chapter in the historic rivalry.
For the second consecutive year, New York eliminated Boston in the Wild Card round. This time he only needed two games.
The difference was blunt: the Yankees beat the Red Sox 18-2 in races during the series.
Boston only got two solo homers in the second match and never found a consistent response to New York pitching.
For the Yankees, eliminating their rival again has a special meaning, but the celebration will have to be short. The next challenge will be even greater.
The Tampa Bay Rays wait in the divisional series
With Boston eliminated, the Yankees officially advance to the American League Division Series and will face the Tampa Bay Rays, the best team in the American League during the regular season.
Tampa Bay got rest during the Wild Card round after winning the East of the AL and secured first place in the league.
The divisional series will be for the best of five games and will start on Saturday at Tropicana Field.
The Yankees will have to travel to Florida after a round in which their pitching allowed only two runs and the offense yielded 18.
It will be a different challenge. Tampa Bay had time to rest their rotation and prepare their bullpen while New York had to play the wild-card round.
The Yankees advance with confidence after a dominant series
Judge's absence had generated legitimate doubts before starting the postseason, but the first two games left a forceful response.
Schlittler and Fried dominated since the rotation, the offensive found collective production and the bullpen practically did not have to work under extreme pressure.
New York still has important questions to solve before ALDS, including whether Judge will be sufficiently recovered to return to the roster.
But for now the result is clear.
The Yankees again eliminated Boston, swept the Wild Card series and are still alive in October.
The next obstacle will be Tampa Bay.