The Boston Red Sox are OUT. Swept in two games by their biggest rivals, the New York Yankees, after a brutal 9-2 defeat Wednesday night in the American League Wild Card Series. For the second straight year, the Red Sox are watching their season end at the hands of the Yankees, and this time, the way it went down is just infuriating.
Sonny Deserved Way Better Than That Pull
Man, Sonny Gray looked like a frontline starter from his very first pitch in an elimination game. His stuff was totally on. He totally finished off Ben Rice to kick off the night with a fantastic curveball, showing flashes of a great two-seam fastball, including a filthy front-door one to strikeout Spencer Jones. Gray racked up 12 swings-and-misses in just 4 2/3 frames. His season-high was 16, so you know he was *on*. He really only made one single “mistake” all night, a breaking ball that Luis Garcia Jr. golfed into the right field seats for a solo homer. Honestly, it wasn’t even that bad of a pitch!
But then, Red Sox Manager Chad Tracy pulled him, with Gray at just 70 pitches, two on and two out in the fifth inning. Seriously? This dude was dealing! And they brought in Erik Miller, who’d been struggling hard at the end of the regular season and even on Tuesday night. What happened? Miller immediately let an earned run score on an RBI single for Cody Bellinger. Just brutal. Gray’s future, both as a Red Sox and with hints toward retirement throughout the year, is up in the air, but one thing is clear: he more than did his job Wednesday night.
Chad Tracy’s Bullpen Blunders Just Blew It, Again
This whole thing felt like a replay from last season, didn’t it? Both putrid losses followed the exact same script: starting pitcher pulled too early, the offense just couldn’t create any momentum, and then the bullpen calls backfired spectacularly, letting Yankee fans party it up in the bleachers.
Chad Tracy, the Red Sox manager, seriously spun himself in circles with his bullpen usage. It burned him, consistently, usually right after the move. It’s like he just kept making the same mistake. Sure, Willson Contreras and Nick Sogard homered, and Nate Eaton was clearly trying to play baseball, even cutting down Ben Rice at the plate to limit the damage. He wasn’t settling for one base! But it wasn’t enough to overcome the managing. Not with that 9-2 final score.
Now, with a lockout looming, the Red Sox are heading into winter with a pile of problems to solve. And for the second year in a row, they’re going home way earlier than they ever expected. Meanwhile, the Yankees are off to meet the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS. Wild.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Over the Monster.
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