Facing elimination, Boston’s bats went ice cold in a Game 3 loss to the Yankees in the Bronx.
Walpole native Cam Schlittler tossed a gem, striking out 12 batters and not allowing a walk in eight shutout innings, as the Red Sox only had one baserunner reach second base in a 4-0 loss. Alex Cora’s team was far from crisp in the field defensively as well.
So what did the pundits think of the Game 3 loss? And where do the Red Sox go from here?
Here’s what they’re saying nationally:
The Athletic
Ken Rosenthal: “What’s this? Aaron Boone isn’t an idiot? Game 1 of the Wild Card Series between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox produced an all-too familiar narrative. Alex Cora, genius. Boone, dummy. Yankees fans, with their team one loss from elimination, were ready to bare their fangs again.
“Now look at those fans after the Yankees’ 4-0 victory in the best-of-three clincher Thursday night, flashing toothy grins from ear to ear. Boone finally gained the upper hand on his nemesis Cora, who in back-to-back games made confusing, conflicting decisions with his starting pitchers. At least until Boone pulls his first head-scratcher in the Division Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, all is forgiven. Or should be… The shocking thing about Cora’s maneuvering in Games 2 and 3 of the Wild Card Series is that he showed a rare, almost shocking lack of feel.”
CBS Sports
Julian McWilliams: “Defense was supposed to be the fix. That was what the Red Sox chased all season. Last year, the team was buried — second-to-last in the majors with 115 errors. Only the Marlins had more, at 117. So Alex Bregman was acquired, Rafael Devers was slid to DH, then eventually traded. Trevor Story stayed healthy, which allowed Ceddanne Rafaela to be moved back to center, where a Gold Glove will likely be won.
“By the numbers, Boston’s outfield was rated the best in baseball, racking up 52 defensive runs saved. But defensive metrics can be tricky because the full story isn’t told. They can be flawed. And if the Red Sox are watched long enough, their defensive flaws are seen, too. So in Game 3 of the Wild Card, under the lights in the Bronx, mistakes piled up again. In a blink, the season was gone, sealed by a 4-0 loss. The rival Yankees scored all four runs in the fourth inning.”
MLB Network
Steve Phillips: “They do (need to clean errors up). I’ll tell you what though: I’d buy stock in the Boston Red Sox. I love the young position players and the young pitchers… we heard so much about the core, the Big 3 position players in (Marcelo) Mayer, Roman Anthony and Campbell (but) these pitchers, (Payton) Tolle and (Connelly) Early, I mean these kids can pitch. So they’ve got a lot going in the right direction.
“They need to fortify first base and figure out what they’re going to do there. Is (Triston) Casas the answer there? Can he stay healthy? Or do they go out and get a Pete Alonso and play him at first? But you start dreaming a little bit about some additions to this team — and improve the defense, they have to do that — but they’ve got a solid core and a young team to build around for the future.”
ESPN
Jorge Castillo: “For three innings, left-hander Connelly Early matched Schlittler in the second winner-take-all game to feature rookie starting pitchers. Early, 23, became the youngest Red Sox pitcher to start a postseason game since Babe Ruth in the 1916 World Series with just his fifth career start — postseason or not — after making his major league debut on Sept. 9. The scene did not overwhelm him as he allowed only two baserunners and needed 45 (pitches) to secure the first nine out unscathed.”
“Then the shoddy Red Sox defense, which cost Boston dearly in Game 2, stumbled again in the fourth inning.”