NEW YORK — As a lot progress because the Pink Sox made this season, there have nonetheless been moments the place the membership inexplicably shot itself within the foot.
An outfield miscommunication right here. An infield error there. Unproductive first-pitch outs and an incapability to capitalize on scoring alternatives in all places.
It was all on show Thursday night time, and it finally value the Pink Sox their season.
The 2025 Pink Sox reached the top of the road on Thursday, with the membership shedding 4-0 to the New York Yankees within the winner-take-all Recreation 3 of the AL Wild Card collection.
The membership was doomed by a four-run backside of the fourth, which served as a microcosm of Boston’s season, and likewise by a masterful efficiency by Walpole native Cam Schlittler, who shut the Pink Sox down over eight shutout innings.
Schlittler struck out 12 Pink Sox whereas permitting simply 5 hits with no walks, and he outdueled Pink Sox rookie Connelly Early, who began sturdy however couldn’t overcome the membership’s collective group failure within the fourth.
The Yankees now advance to the ALDS, the place they are going to face the Toronto Blue Jays in a best-of-five collection.
Coming into Recreation 3 one of many greatest questions of the night time was whether or not or not the rookie starters can be prepared. Each Early and Schlittler had dominated for his or her respective golf equipment since being referred to as up, however you by no means actually understand how a younger starter goes to react when confronted with the most important sport of their life.
As soon as the sport started, the 2 appeared prepared for the second.
Schlittler set the tone early with a dominant high of the primary, hitting 100 mph on six of his first 14 pitches to ship the Pink Sox down 1-2-3. Early then got here on and matched him, buying and selling velocity for effectivity by retiring the highest of the Yankees order on simply eight pitches.
Early’s first main check got here within the backside of the second when Giancarlo Stanton smoked a line drive 114.5 mph to left subject for a leadoff double off the wall. Stanton thought the ball was gone, admiring the shot earlier than beating out a poor relay from the outfield, however the rookie responded with three fast outs to maintain the sport scoreless.
Hits remained arduous to return by for each lineups, at the very least for some time.
Schlittler overpowered the Pink Sox batters, and the one one who might appear to the touch him was Masataka Yoshida. The pink sizzling Pink Sox designated hitter went 2 for two in opposition to Schlittler by way of his first two at bats, enhancing to .800 on the collection as much as that time. The remainder of the Pink Sox had been 0 for 12 by way of the primary 4 innings.
Then got here the underside of the fourth when the wheels got here off for the Pink Sox.
Cody Bellinger led off with a bloop double into no-man’s land that bounced in entrance of the converging Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu. Stanton drew a stroll, however after Early struck out Ben Rice the Yankees took the lead on an RBI single by Amed Rosario.
Issues went downhill from there.
Jazz Chisholm singled to load the bases and Anthony Volpe made it three straight base hits with an RBI knock. It then appeared the Yankees had a 3rd run when Pink Sox catcher Carlos Narvaez was referred to as for catcher’s interference, however whereas the decision was overturned on replay and the runner despatched again to 3rd base, Wells prolonged the Yankee lead anyway with a bouncing ball to first that bounced off Nathaniel Lowe’s glove into proper subject.
As a substitute of an inning-ending double play, it was two extra runs.
Early was lastly pulled after drawing a fly out from Trent Grisham and Justin Slaten escaped the inning with out additional incident, however by that time the harm was achieved. The Pink Sox trailed 4-0 and confronted the daunting prospect of coming from behind in opposition to a Yankee pitcher who, to that time, had been tying them in knots all night.
Schlittler didn’t give an inch the remainder of his outing.
The Northeastern College alumnus labored round a pair of singles to go away a person stranded within the high of the fifth, and within the sixth he struck out Yoshida and Rafaela to go away a runner at first.
He retired the final eight batters he confronted, punctuating his outing with a 1-2-3 high of the eighth. He additionally benefitted from a sensational seize by Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon, who tracked down a pop-up by the Pink Sox dugout, flipped over the railing onto his again however held on to make the catch.
Schlittler turned the primary rookie to strike out at the very least 10 batters in a postseason sport since Livan Hernandez had 15 for the Florida Marlins in 1997. Based on ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Schlittler can be the primary pitcher in baseball historical past, rookie or in any other case, to go eight innings with 12 strikeouts and no walks in a postseason sport.
It was a exceptional star flip for a Massachusetts native who grew up rooting for the Pink Sox.
The Pink Sox went quietly within the high of the ninth in opposition to Yankees nearer David Bednar and completed the sport having solely ever gotten one at bat with a runner in scoring place. Boston additionally turned the primary group for the reason that present expanded postseason format started in 2022 to lose a Wild Card collection after profitable the primary sport.
Now, regardless of taking a step ahead and ending the group’s three-year postseason drought, an extended offseason awaits.
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