The atmosphere at Yankee Stadium on Friday night had a familiarity about it that has been missing from this rivalry during the regular season for far too long. The Red Sox came to the Bronx two games behind the Yankees for the first Wild Card spot in the American League and the all-important home-field advantage for that short three-game series. Both teams had been playing well, as each was 7-3 over their last ten games, and the stage was set for the opener of a huge late-summer series.
To be honest, the game did not disappoint. Although there was not a lot of scoring, the pitching on both sides was impressive, and the drama mounted with each successive inning. Cam Schlittler didn’t exactly dominate the Red Sox, but it felt more like he was toying with them. Over 5.2 innings, he allowed only two hits but surrendered five walks to a very patient Red Sox lineup. Boston had runners in every inning against Schlittler but, in typical Red Sox fashion, just could not cash in on those opportunities.
In what many might consider the upset of the month, Patrick Sandoval basically matched Schlittler pitch for pitch over 5.1 innings of his own. The Sox lefty was living on the edge, is he is wont to do, allowing three hits and four walks while having only one clean inning against the Bombers. Unfortunately for Sandoval and the Red Sox, the one mistake he made was a 95 MPH sinker down and in to Paul Goldschmidt in the bottom of the third inning, and he promptly deposited it 430 feet from home plate into the Yankee Stadium seats in left field.
From that point on, Sandoval, Greg Weissert, Tyron Guerrero, and Wyatt “Earp” Olds surrendered only one more hit to the Yankees as they shut them out over the final 5.2 innings.
The Red Sox offense outhit the Yankees and provided a number of scoring opportunities that became more and more heartbreaking with each one they squandered.
In the top of the fifth, down a run, Seigler led off the inning by working a walk against Schlittler, and then, with one out, Ceddanne Rafaela singled into center. The young Yankees righty from Weymouth was nearing 90 pitches in his outing, and it looked like Boston’s approach at the plate, although unable to drive in any runs to that point, might at least do the job of driving the potential Cy Young Award winner from the game early.
However, that tragic little character flaw of “stupidity” crept up and bit the Sox in the behind again.
Wilyer Abreu hit a soft line drive into center field that, off the bat, looked like it might have a chance to drop, but Trent Grisham got a nice jump on the ball and caught it with very little effort. The runner at second, Anthony Seigler, read the play perfectly and got back well before Grisham’s one-hop throw reached Jazz Chisholm at second.
But for some reason, the trailing runner, Rafaela, had gone almost halfway to second base. Despite his frantic efforts to turn tail and dive back to first, the relay beat him and ended the inning.
Not only did the foolish baserunning end the inning prematurely, but it also allowed the Yankees ace to escape and begin another inning, protecting the weak underbelly of the Yankees bullpen and reducing the number of chances Aaron Boone had to screw something up.
In the top of the sixth, the Red Sox finally got Schlittler out of the game after Caleb Durbin worked a two-out walk. Boone brought lefty Brent Headrick out of the bullpen, and this is where the fun started. Well, fun if you are someone like me who enjoys watching the tactical aspects of baseball and managing play out. At least whatever aspects are still left for such things in the game today.
Chad Tracy started to wheel and deal and truly placed all of his cards on the table for the remainder of the inning. With one on and two outs, he pinch-hit for Mickey “Mantle” Gasper in Yankee Stadium. Can you believe it! Jahmai Jones was called upon to hit against the lefty, and he walked to put two men on. It was then Eli White’s turn to replace the left-handed-hitting Duran.
White took a huge swing at an 0-1 pitch and connected! The ball went...squibbing, Willie Mosconi-style, past the pitcher and toward the infield dirt between the first and second basemen at a blistering 45 MPH at best!
Needless to say, Headrick had no play on “The Flash,” and the bases were loaded.
Chad Tracy then played his penultimate card by sending Andruw Monasterio to the plate to hit for Seigler. All the while, Aaron Boone stood in his dugout watching the events transpire around him, unable to do anything about it because his lefty needed to face three batters.
Monasterio worked the at-bat to a full count, fouling off a couple of pitches and taking a few close ones, but alas, his line drive on the eighth pitch of the at-bat landed in the glove of Yankees right fielder, Heliot Ramos to end the threat.
Boston was at it again in the top of the seventh against the Yankees pen. With one out, Rafaela blooped a single into center field, and Wilyer Abreu scorched a ball down the right-field line that landed on the warning track and, unfortunately for Boston, hopped up into the foul-pole screen for a ground-rule double.
With two men in scoring position and one out, Willson Contreras simply needed to hit a ground ball with the infield back or a fly ball to relatively medium depth, and it probably would have scored the fleet-footed Rafaela. Assuming he didn’t do something stupid again.
Contreras connected on an 0-1 sweeper on the outside corner and popped one out to left off the end of the bat. As Red Sox Nation watched the ball sail toward Cody Bellinger, and as he continued to come in closer and closer to home plate preparing to catch and throw, only one thought came to mind...Please let him unleash a Wilyer Abreu type throw that maims a fan in the stands.
No such luck.
Bellinger’s throw was perfect, and the tag by Austin Wells added a little insult to injury as he popped Ceddanne in the head as he dove for home plate.
Bellinger’s throw didn’t just end the seventh. It basically ended the Red Sox chances.
Dejected, they went back out to the field, and while the bullpen held the game at 1-0, the next six batters in Boston’s lineup were retired in order, ending an entertaining yet painful series opener.
All We Need Is Just a Little Patience
As I watched the Red Sox approach against Cam Schlittler on Friday night, I was brought back to the glory days of the early aughts and “The Idiots,” when, up and down the Red Sox lineup, batters would take pitches and work long counts just to drive starting pitchers out of games.
On Friday night, whether that was the game plan or not, although they didn’t muster all that much offense against the Yankees fireballer, they certainly were not dominated by him like they were last October.
Despite the outcome of this game, if the Red Sox can keep those illustrious words of Axl Rose in their heads the next time they face the Yankees in the playoffs—yes, I know I am getting ahead of myself, but bear with me; it is good for the narrative—the outcome might be a little different!
Chess Vs. Checkers
This is a favorite saying of people from New England, especially those who follow that other team in the area that sports the “Flying Elvis!”
When Bill Belichick was in his prime with the Pats, more like when Brady was, it was always said that Bill’s tactical mind for the game made him look like some grandmaster playing chess while the other guy was just playing checkers.
Tonight, to his credit, Chad Tracy completely outmanaged Aaron Boone.
I know the results didn’t show it on the scoreboard, but when given the opportunity, Tracy shined. All the moves in the sixth inning to get his right-handed hitters into the game against the Yankees left-hander were brilliant.
The Yankees are a good ballclub, but like all teams, they have faults. The bullpen, at least the middle relievers, is one of them. Once Tracy was able to get Schlittler out of the game in the sixth, he quickly struck against the lefty because he knew he wouldn’t get another chance.
It didn’t work. But the moves gave Boston its best chance to win the game, and that is really all you can ask of a manager.
Where Do We Go Now?
Three games behind the Yankees with three more to play this weekend, including a doubleheader.
The matchups of Bennett vs. Rodón and, most likely, an opener followed by Bullpen Bello vs. Max Fried on Saturday, followed by Ranger Suárez vs. Will Warren on Sunday, seem like a pretty fair fight between these two heavyweights.
Boston wins all three, they are tied, and the final month is going to be a free-for-all.
The Yankees win all three, and it probably means, “See you in the Bronx come October.”
One team or the other wins two of three and, hey, there is still some excitement left down the stretch.
Either way, if the rest of the weekend has half the energy and drama of the first game, the end of the summer won’t be so bad.
Image Courtesy of https://www.mlb.com/video/cam-schlittler-s-scoreless-outing-eight-strikeouts