Yankees Make Boston Pay Early, Sox Can’t Mount a Comeback When It Counts
Jazz Chisholm’s moonshot plus a brutal first inning blow leave Fenway shaking its head.
The Final Score & What It Means
The Boston Red Sox dropped their third straight to the New York Yankees at Fenway on Saturday, 5–3, falling further behind in the AL Wild Card chase.
With the loss, Boston falls to 81–68, while New York improves to 83–65. The gap in the Wild Card standings widens again — every wasted frame in the field or silent bat feels heavier now.
Starting Pitchers: Fried vs. Bello — A Tale of Two First Innings
Max Fried (Yankees): Earned his league-leading 17th win, allowing just two runs across 5⅓ innings. Despite giving up nine hits, Fried weathered the storm, especially the early barrage from Boston.
Brayan Bello (Red Sox): The early going was rough. New York sent eight hitters to the plate in the 1st, smacked Bello for two runs. That included a sacrifice fly by Cody Bellinger and an infield single by Jazz Chisholm Jr. Bello’s long scoreless stretch against the Yankees? Snapped.
The difference: Yankees played clean early, Boston looked like they were trying on someone else’s glove.
What Went Right & What Went “We’ll Fix That on Monday”
Good Moments:
Jarren Duran came off the bench and drilled a solo homer in the 8th — his kind of moment you want more of down the stretch.
Lower half of Boston’s order chipped in: Nate Eaton, Nick Sogard, and Connor Wong all had two hits apiece. When the big names aren’t showing, that depth helps (but only so much).
What Tore Boston to Shreds:
First Inning Meltdown: Two runs allowed, eight batters faced. New York pounced early. When you come out of the gates like that, league-leading Fried only needs to settle in.
Runner Woes: Stranded eight runners. RISP (runners in scoring position) didn’t show up when needed. No rally big enough.
Bullpen Slip: Aroldis Chapman gave up the dagger in the 9th — Cody Bellinger doubled, Judge singled, and that was enough to push it out of reach. Relief pitchers held steady for most of the game but couldn’t close the door.
Key Moments / Turning Point
Fifth inning: Alex Bregman’s solo homer off Fried (with two outs) jolted the crowd and broke what had been Fried’s bid for a shutout. That home run inserted life into Boston and showed cracks in Fried’s armor.
Sixth inning: Boston strings together three straight singles, cutting the deficit to 4–2, but that threat died when Luke Weaver struck out Ceddanne Rafaela and Romy Gonzalez consecutively. If there’s one at-bat that epitomizes this Sox team lately, that’s it. Momentum almost there, then nothing.
Larger Picture: Playoff Pressure, Division Tension
This isn’t just another loss — it’s a chipping away at what they (we) thought might be a path out of the Wild Card muddy middle. The Yankees have now beaten Boston three straight in this rivalry stretch. That does damage — both in the standings and in confidence.
Because of this streak, New York is now 2½ games ahead of Boston implicatively in the Wild Card race, and they pull further for the top Wild Card with every Sox mistake. This all means fewer second chances. More moments like this and it’ll be too late.
Going Into Tomorrow: What the Sox Need to Fix
Fast starts — They were flat out outclassed early. Cannot let the opposing starter cheat first blood.
Clutch hitting — Stranding runners with two outs, failing to pounce when Fried wobbled. Those are at-bats that define games.
Mental resilience — Chapman’s meltdown in the 9th is a microcosm: having to play clean through nine. No margin for error.
Leverage depth — Need more from off the bench and the bullpen. If the starters give you five, the rest has got to hold up.
Final Thought
A 5–3 loss might look close. But in its bones, this game stings. The Sox didn’t just lose — they let New York control them from the beginning, and never fully clawed back. For a team still battling, once you let clutch moments slide, you wake up one day and you’re out of contention.
Fenway was loud Saturday, but louder could have been boos if Boston doesn’t clean this up. The margin for error is razor thin. And right now, the Red Sox are dancing on it.