Yankees sweep Red Sox out of playoffs again, advance to face Rays

NEW YORK — The Yankees ended the Boston Red Sox's season for the second consecutive October, completing a two-game sweep of the American League Wild Card Series with a 9-2 win on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium. New York now moves on to face the division-winning Tampa Bay Rays in the AL Division Series, which opens Saturday at Tropicana Field.

The fourth-seeded Yankees outscored the fifth-seeded Red Sox 18-2 across the two games, a margin that belied the preseason expectation of a tight, low-scoring series between division rivals. In the series opener, right-hander Cam Schlittler struck out 10 over 6 1/3 scoreless innings and first baseman Ben Rice drove in six runs, including a grand slam, in a 9-0 victory. New York closed it out a night later behind left-hander Max Fried's six innings of one-run ball and a six-run sixth inning capped by a three-run homer from outfielder Cody Bellinger.

Two Massachusetts natives set the tone

Schlittler and Rice both grew up as Red Sox fans in Massachusetts before landing in the Bronx, and both delivered performances that Boston will be replaying over the winter. Schlittler, a Walpole native, opened the series by pumping his first pitch at 100.6 mph and never let up, throwing a career-high 117 pitches while allowing just two singles and a walk. He exited to chants of "M-V-P!" from a crowd of 48,437.

"The job's not done; we've got to get another win tomorrow," Schlittler said afterward, a reference to his Game 1 performance. "But it's very well-known that if you want to be a legend, which is obviously the goal, you've got to do it in the postseason."

Rice, who hit a solo homer and later a grand slam off reliever Alec Gamboa, finished 4-for-5. The two were part of a Yankees lineup that also got a three-hit postseason debut from rookie shortstop George Lombard Jr., whose RBI single in Game 2's decisive sixth inning kept the rally rolling toward Bellinger's homer.

García provides the power, Fried the calm

With captain Aaron Judge sidelined by a calf injury, the Yankees leaned on newer additions to supply pop. Luis García Jr., acquired from the Washington Nationals in August, hit an early homer off former Yankee Sonny Gray, who was pulled in the fifth to boos after allowing two runs. Born in New York but raised a Yankees fan after his family moved to the Dominican Republic in his childhood, García hit 30 home runs this season, seven of them in pinstripes.

"I only have one word — unbelievable," García said. "You feel the crowd, you feel the fans. You feel everything right now. This experience for me, it's unbelievable."

Boston briefly threatened in the sixth inning, when catcher Willson Contreras homered to snap a 26-inning scoreless postseason drought for the Red Sox that dated to Game 2 of last year's Wild Card Series. Second baseman Nick Sogard added a solo shot later, but New York's six-run sixth — highlighted by Boston's decision to intentionally walk Rice and pitch to Bellinger, who promptly hit a changeup from Garrett Whitlock into the seats — put the game away.

"I was very surprised they were willing to face Cody Bellinger, a guy who absolutely thrives with runners in scoring position and has done it his whole career," Rice said. "Interesting decision."

A rivalry still tilted New York's way

The sweep marks the second straight year the Yankees have knocked Boston out of the Wild Card round, and it ends a Red Sox season that saw the club win 87 games and claim the AL's fifth seed before being outscored by nine runs across two games against their oldest rival. Red Sox manager Chad Tracy did not dispute how lopsided it felt.

"You're thinking we're going to play closer games," Tracy said. "They swung the bats extremely well. You've got to give them credit. It was frustrating."

For the Yankees, the series marked a confident follow-up to a 93-68 regular season in which they finished second in the AL East behind Tampa Bay. Manager Aaron Boone, whose team has now eliminated Boston from the Wild Card round in back-to-back years, credited his pitching staff for setting the tone.

• Final scores: Yankees 9, Red Sox 0 (Game 1); Yankees 9, Red Sox 2 (Game 2)
• Combined series line: New York outhomered Boston 4-3 and outscored the Red Sox 18-2
• Ben Rice: 5-for-9 with two homers and six RBIs across the series
• Schlittler: 6 1/3 scoreless innings, 10 strikeouts, one walk in Game 1

"As I said all year, but even going into this series, that was a scary team to us — especially as well as they pitch," Boone said. "I'm just really pleased with how we played. We're going to enjoy that, and excited to get our shot at a really good Tampa club."

What happens next

The Yankees now turn to a Rays team that won the AL East by four-and-a-half games and took seven of 13 meetings between the two clubs during the regular season. Tampa Bay, the AL's No. 1 overall seed, had a bye through the Wild Card round and will host Game 1 of the Division Series on Saturday at Tropicana Field. Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake said the club plans to start either Gerrit Cole or Carlos Rodón in the opener, with a decision expected closer to game time. Judge, the three-time AL MVP, said he hopes to be activated in time for the series.

"I know we didn't win the division," Judge said. "We weren't the No. 1 seed, got put in the Wild Card. But we're not trying to make a statement. We're trying to play our game and take care of business."

For Boston, the offseason questions will center on a rotation anchored by Garrett Crochet and a lineup that went cold at the worst possible time. The Red Sox had reached the playoffs on the strength of an 87-75 regular season, but for the second year running, a trip to the Bronx ended it early.