The Boston Red Sox just got absolutely flattened by the New York Yankees, dropping both Wild Card games in brutal blowouts during a postseason sweep. Their bullpen was a massive liability, plain and simple, even though the starting pitching wasn’t all that bad. But if you ask Willson Contreras, there’s one gigantic, overarching problem that cost them that series.
The Quick Hook and The Silent Blame
According to Chris Cotillo from MassLive.com, Contreras went all in, hinting that advanced analytics, especially pulling Sonny Gray way too early in Wednesday night’s game, were the main culprits for the Red Sox’s elimination. Cotillo even shared that Contreras “heavily insinuated there is too much data being used in the Red Sox organization.” And when he got asked if the Red Sox pulled Gray too early? Contreras gave the “lips sealed” motion, not once, but twice. Man, that says it all without saying a word, doesn’t it?
The Red Sox ultimately fell 9-2 that Wednesday night. Gray got pulled in the fifth inning after only 70 pitches. Yeah, he’d allowed two runs, but that’s not some unbearable lead! What happened next? The bullpen, specifically Garrett Crochet and Garrett Whitlock, absolutely blew the game just one inning later. You’ve gotta wonder if keeping Gray on the mound to navigate the lineup one more time would have been the smarter play.
The Cost of “Too Much Data”
Gray himself made it clear he wished the team had left him in. But Chad Tracy went with the quick hook, yanking Gray and throwing the game over to a bullpen that had already struggled in Game 1 and then struggled again in Game 2. Look, nobody is saying this one decision was the *only* reason Boston lost; their offense totally disappeared for the postseason. But Contreras definitely believes, and honestly, a lot of folks probably agree, that pulling Gray so quickly was a huge mistake. He’s putting a big chunk of the blame for that Wild Card loss squarely on the Red Sox’s decision-making, pointing directly at the advanced analytics that almost certainly told them to pull Gray when they did.
This was a seriously ugly way for the Red Sox’s rollercoaster 2026 season to end. And Contreras blaming the team’s reliance on advanced analytics just makes it an even worse, more frustrating finish to the year.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
Leave a Reply