Red Sox Hoodwink Yankees In A Game 1 They Had No Business Winning

It simply never felt like the Boston Red Sox's night, until miraculously, it suddenly was.

After failing to break through all night against New York Yankees starter Max Fried, the Red Sox scored two lightning-fast runs in the seventh, added one more in the ninth, and defeated their arch-rivals 3-1 in the ultimate masterpiece from starting pitcher Garrett Crochet.

How did the Red Sox manage to pull it all together at exactly the right time? The same way they've done it ever since they started winning this year: gritting their teeth in the clutch, and getting a little help from the Yankees.

Red Sox win, have Yankees to thank

Sep 30, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Max Fried (54) reacts after getting a double play ends the top of the sixth inning against Boston Red Sox during game one of the Wildcard round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Fried wasn't untouchable on Tuesday night, not like Crochet, who retired 17 straight Yankees batters at one point. But he was getting the big outs whenever the high-pressure moments arrived, and the Red Sox didn't seem like they were ever going to find the answer.

But when it became obvious that Fried was going to come out after one batter in the top of the seventh inning, the Red Sox sensed they had an opportunity. And as soon as Luke Weaver somehow managed to walk Ceddanne Rafaela (not an easy task), they pounced.

Nick Sogard turned a single into a double because he sensed Aaron Judge wouldn't be able to throw him out with his still-weakened right elbow. Masataka Yoshida jumped on a Weaver heater that caught too much plate, and the Red Sox suddenly had a lead in a game it felt like they had no business winning.

Just to illustrate the point that they always seem to outfox the Yankees, the Red Sox made the right decision exactly where the Yankees had gone wrong. Fried was taken out after 6 1/3 innings and 102 pitches; Crochet was allowed to stay in for 7 2/3 and 117. The big lefty rewarded manager Alex Cora's confidence by striking out Austin Wells on a 100.2-mph fastball, his hardest pitch of the night.

Cora ran circles around Yankees manager Aaron Boone all night, by the way. The fact that Ben Rice, who hit two home runs on Sunday, didn't get into the game at all was a massive gift that the Red Sox gladly accepted.

The Red Sox are still the slight underdogs in Game 2 on paper, but that's all the more reason why they had to win on Tuesday night. And through sheer willpower, and because they didn't listen to whatever the computers were telling the Yankees about taking their dominant lefty starter out, they were rewarded.

And while heart rates across New England were at 150+ for the entire bottom of the ninth inning, kudos to Aroldis Chapman for buckling down and getting three massive outs when the Red Sox needed them.

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