1. A little more than three months ago, the Yankees had the opportunity to end the Red Sox’ season during a four-game series at Fenway Park in the last week of June. But instead of burying the then 14-games-under-.500 Red Sox, the Yankees saved their season by getting swept over that that miserable weekend. The reason the Yankees were forced to play in a best-of-3 series for the second straight season began that weekend. The reason their opponent in the Wild Card Series was the Red Sox began that weekend.
A little more than three months later, the Yankees finally finished the job. A night after beating the Red Sox 9-0 in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees ended the Red Sox’ with a second straight rout, winning 9-2. There were limited tense moments on Wednesday, just like there were on Tuesday. Postseason games aren’t supposed to feel mostly carefree. They aren’t supposed to be laughers. But that’s how both games in this short series ended. Best-of-3 series aren’t supposed to feel easy, but that’s how this series felt: extremely easy.
2. Game 2 played out a lot like Game 1. The Yankees scored first in both, both were one-run games in the fifth, the Yankees broke both games open late, the Yankees got dominant starting pitching in both games and Chad Tracy managed in a way that makes me feel proud to have Aaron Boone as my team’s manager.
The Yankees couldn’t lose to former failed Yankees Sonny Gray, Aroldis Chapman, Greg Weissert, Jahmai Jones and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and they didn’t. They had to beat a Red Sox team that was mediocre at best in the 125 games sandwiched around their historic 32-5 run, and they did. And they didn’t just beat them, they humiliated them.
3. The Yankees outscored the Red Sox 18-2 over the two games. The Red Sox had one baserunner reach second base in Game 1, and in Game 2, they had one baserunner reach second base in the first 5 2/3 innings, and that runner only got to second because Trent Grisham jogged to a shallow fly ball like a valet driver going around the block to get your car. The Red Sox’ starting pitching was OK (aided by a foreign substance on the neck of Gray), their offense was nonexistent, their bullpen was atrocious and their manager was a disaster. The Yankees embarrassed their entire organization and I enjoyed every second of it. It was both beautiful and satisfying.
4. Who was that team wearing pinstripes and making contact and putting the ball in play the last two nights? Because it looked nothing like the Yankees’ offense I watched for 162 games. It looked nothing like every other Yankees’ offensive performance during the Boone era. The Yankees had more walks (five) than strikeouts (four) in Game 1, and then spent Game 2 extending their lead by putting the ball in play and putting pressure on the Red Sox.
5. Before Cody Bellinger put the finishing touch on the Red Sox’ season, the Yankees scored three runs without doing much. Spencer Jones reached first base to lead off the inning after striking out on a wild pitch. Jones took off for second and Adley Rutschman made an errant throw into the outfield to allow Jones to go to third. George Lombard Jr. singled Jones in. Jazz Chisholm followed with a single to move Lombard Jr. to second. Grisham tried to sacrifice both runners over with a bunt, but ended up reaching on a bunt single to load the bases with no outs. Austin Wells (who had as many RBIs in this series as he did in the first month of the regular season) hit a deep fly ball to score Lombard Jr. The Yankees manufactured three runs with really only a pair of singles, simply by running hard, putting the ball in play, putting pressure on the defense and performing good situational hitting. Instead of waiting around for a three-run home run like they have in every other Boone era postseason, they built runs by simply playing good baseball. And then they were rewarded with the three-run home run to end the game.
6. The Yankees went 12-for-32 with five walks and four strikeouts in Game 1 and every starter other than Heliot Ramos reached base safely. In Game 2, the Yankees went 14-for-36 with three walks and 10 strikeouts and every starter had at least one hit. This certainly isn’t the offense Yankees fans watched all season and it’s certainly not the postseason offense Yankees fans have grown accustomed to. The last two nights felt like I was watching a completely different version of the 2026 Yankees’ offense. The offense looked like the type of offense I always want the Yankees to have, but they never do.
7. It’s not like the Yankees were playing the Astros or White Sox either. They faced two of the best starting pitchers in the majors and the bullpen with the lowest ERA in the majors, and they pummeled them. The offense got to the Red Sox’ talented rookie and chased their superb veteran. They rocked their big deadline acquisition, torched their middle relief and even beat up on their elite setup man. It all seemed too good to be true.
8. And maybe it was. While every Yankees fan should celebrate on Thursday and Friday, it’s highly unlikely that what we all watched the last two nights at the Stadium is going to take place in the next round beginning on Saturday in Tampa. The Rays aren’t the Red Sox. They earned a first-round bye by winning the division and holding off the Yankees. Each time the Yankees got within striking distance of the Rays this summer, the Rays ripped off a winning streak to push them away. They won the season series over the Yankees despite treating the last two games of the season series like spring training games in early March. They play in a venue the Yankees have had a hard time winning in and they play a brand of baseball that combats what the Yankees do well, and they boast the best manager in the sport, who won’t make even one of the countless mistakes Chad Tracy made in the Wild Card Series. Beating the crap out of the Red Sox was fun, but playing the Rays won’t be.
9. For a team that had to play a best-of-3 series for their season, the Yankees are set up as well as a wild-card team could possibly be. Aside from the scary setting of a best-of-3 that could end your season and not having home-field advantage in the ALDS, the Yankees are in a good spot. Their offense is humming, they only had to use two starters, their bullpen is rested and even their manager is managing in a way he never has before (though I’m going to need much more than a two-game sample size against a shitty opponent to believe it’s for real). Because of the day off between Games 1 and 2 of the ALDS, the Yankees have the ability to start Cam Schlittler in Games 2 and 5, on the road where he had a 1.16 ERA in 17 starts.
10. I’m not ready to think about the Rays yet. I still haven’t consumed every possible Game 2 reaction from depressed Red Sox fans mourning the humiliating defeat that ended their season. I will start to worry about the Rays on Friday. Today is a day for celebration.
Last modified: Oct 1, 2026
