One Moment No One is Talking About From Yankees Game 1 Win Against Red Sox

If you're a Boston Red Sox fan, it's hard to feel good about that game. A beatdown like that on enemy turf is demoralizing. Cam Schlittler continued his historic run against his hometown team, and even when he was out of the game, they had nothing for Paul Blackburn or former Bostonian bullpen staple John Schreiber.

Of course, while the final score said 9-0 and the New York Yankees won big, this game felt like the final nail in Boston's coffin came in the bottom of the seventh.

It began with singles by Spencer Jones and Austin Wells. Boston reliever Alec Gamboa then walked Paul Goldschmidt, and despite the south paw reliever clearly showing signs of not having it, Chad Tracy kept him in to face Ben Rice. Out in the bullpen for Tracy was Garrett Whitlock, and even though Whitlock wouldn't have guaranteed that he would've ended that Yankee rally, keeping Gamboa in there just felt like waving a white flag.

Jones single, Wells single, Goldy walk

Bases loaded with no outs for Ben Rice pic.twitter.com/fONaFkLHjs
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) September 30, 2026

At that point in the game, it was still 2-0. The bases were loaded with no outs, but to that point, the Yankees had trouble cashing in their runners in scoring position. Even if it was a small shot for them to get out of the inning unscathed, Tracy should have taken it with Whitlock, who has always been one of Boston's more dependable relievers. The Red Sox would have had a chance for a prototypical baseball bloop-and-blast moment.

The hit parade

Instead, Tracy kept Gamboa in. A Rice single gave the Yankees a 3-0 lead. Then, Luis Garcia Jr. hit into a double play, making it 4-0 after a pitching change. The run parade didn't end there, though. Wells hit a sacrifice fly in the 8th, and Rice played hero again, hitting a grand slam for his second long ball of the game.

New York Yankees designated hitter Ben Rice hits a grand slam against the Boston Red Sox. — New York Yankees designated hitter Ben Rice was one of the stars from Tuesday night's Game 1 win against the Boston Red Sox. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's hard to imagine why Tracy would wave a white flag in the 7th. It doesn't matter whether there's another game the next day. It's just a three-game set, and the margin for error becomes razor-thin after losing Game 1. The Yankees overcame dropping the first one last season, but in this era of the Wild Card, they're the only team to do it.

Tracy can't get his team to hit. That ultimately led to Boston's downfall. Even so, it's hard to say he's blameless, since he watched Gamboa give that game away.

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