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Red Sox defeat rival Yankees in AL Wild Card Game, advance to ALDS against Rays

The Red Sox have now won the last three playoff matchups with the Yankees

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Red Sox defeat rival Yankees in AL Wild Card Game, advance to ALDS against Rays

The Red Sox have now won the last three playoff matchups with the Yankees

The Boston Red Sox are moving on to the American League Division Series after defeating the archrival New York Yankees 6-2 in the AL Wild Card Game Tuesday night.Even without All-Star slugger J.D. Martinez in the lineup, the Red Sox were able to chase Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole from the game early.Cole, New York's ace and a Cy Young Award candidate, allowed three runs on four hits — including two home runs — and two walks in two-plus innings of work.Boston starter Nathan Eovaldi, meanwhile, was much sharper on the mound. He threw 5 1/3 innings and allowed one run on four hits while striking out eight batters.The Red Sox will now face the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS. The Rays finished the regular season with a 100-62 record, the best in the American League, and thus have home-field advantage for the best-of-five series against the Sox.Before the winner-take-all playoff game started, the crowd at Fenway Park was treated to longtime Red Sox television broadcaster Jerry Remy throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.Remy, a former Boston player and Massachusetts native, stepped away from his role as the color analyst for New England Sports Network on Aug. 4 to undergo treatment for lung cancer. The first pitch at Fenway was Remy's first public appearance since taking his leave of absence. The Red Sox got off to a fast start with Xander Bogaerts hitting a two-run home run to center field off Cole in the bottom of the first inning.Kyle Schwarber then hit a solo shot to right field to lead off the bottom of the third to give Boston a 3-0 lead.Cole was removed from the game in the third after allowing a single and a walk after Schwarber's homer. Yankees reliever Clay Holmes was able to escape the jam by striking out Bogaerts and getting Alex Verdugo to ground out into a double play.The Yankees did not get on the board until the sixth inning, when Anthony Rizzo smacked a solo homer near Pesky's Pole in right field to make it 3-1. Red Sox manager Alex Cora then took Eovaldi out of the game after the next batter, Aaron Judge, reached on an infield single.Boston reliever Ryan Brasier then surrendered a rocket off the Green Monster to Giancarlo Stanton. Judge tried to score on the play, but the relay from center fielder Enrique "Kiké" Hernández to Bogaerts to catcher Kevin Plawecki beat Judge to the plate for the second out of the inning. Brasier then got Joey Gallo to pop out to third to end the inning.The Red Sox, however, were able to get their three-run advantage back in the bottom of the frame. Bogaerts scored all the way from first base on a double into the right field corner from Verdugo off Luis Severino. Yankees reliever Jonathan Loáisiga was able to prevent any more runs from scoring by striking out pinch-hitter Travis Shaw and Bobby Dalbec back to back.After Tanner Houck kept New York off the bases in the top of the seventh, Verdugo came up clutch in the bottom of the frame by lining a ball into the left-center gap with the bases loaded. Schwarber and Hernández came in to score to make it 6-1 in favor of Boston, but Verdugo was thrown out at second base to end the inning.Hansel Robles pitched a 1-2-3 inning for the Red Sox in the eighth.Garrett Whitlock allowed a home run to Stanton in the ninth, but he was able to finish the job and seal a 6-2 Boston victory. Game 1 of the ALDS is scheduled for 8:07 p.m. Thursday at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. Left-hander Shane McClanahan (10-6) is set to start for the Rays, while Cora did not say who would start for the Red Sox during Tuesday's postgame news conference.

The Boston Red Sox are moving on to the American League Division Series after defeating the archrival New York Yankees 6-2 in the AL Wild Card Game Tuesday night.

Even without All-Star slugger J.D. Martinez in the lineup, the Red Sox were able to chase Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole from the game early.

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Cole, New York's ace and a Cy Young Award candidate, allowed three runs on four hits — including two home runs — and two walks in two-plus innings of work.

Boston starter Nathan Eovaldi, meanwhile, was much sharper on the mound. He threw 5 1/3 innings and allowed one run on four hits while striking out eight batters.

The Red Sox will now face the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS. The Rays finished the regular season with a 100-62 record, the best in the American League, and thus have home-field advantage for the best-of-five series against the Sox.

Before the winner-take-all playoff game started, the crowd at Fenway Park was treated to longtime Red Sox television broadcaster Jerry Remy throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.

Remy, a former Boston player and Massachusetts native, stepped away from his role as the color analyst for New England Sports Network on Aug. 4 to undergo treatment for lung cancer. The first pitch at Fenway was Remy's first public appearance since taking his leave of absence.

The Red Sox got off to a fast start with Xander Bogaerts hitting a two-run home run to center field off Cole in the bottom of the first inning.

Kyle Schwarber then hit a solo shot to right field to lead off the bottom of the third to give Boston a 3-0 lead.

Cole was removed from the game in the third after allowing a single and a walk after Schwarber's homer. Yankees reliever Clay Holmes was able to escape the jam by striking out Bogaerts and getting Alex Verdugo to ground out into a double play.

The Yankees did not get on the board until the sixth inning, when Anthony Rizzo smacked a solo homer near Pesky's Pole in right field to make it 3-1. Red Sox manager Alex Cora then took Eovaldi out of the game after the next batter, Aaron Judge, reached on an infield single.

Boston reliever Ryan Brasier then surrendered a rocket off the Green Monster to Giancarlo Stanton. Judge tried to score on the play, but the relay from center fielder Enrique "Kiké" Hernández to Bogaerts to catcher Kevin Plawecki beat Judge to the plate for the second out of the inning. Brasier then got Joey Gallo to pop out to third to end the inning.

Charles Krupa
New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge (99) is tagged out at the plate by Boston Red Sox catcher Kevin Plawecki as he tries to score on a single by Giancarlo Stanton in the sixth inning of an American League Wild Card playoff baseball game at Fenway Park, Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021, in Boston. (AP Photo)

The Red Sox, however, were able to get their three-run advantage back in the bottom of the frame. Bogaerts scored all the way from first base on a double into the right field corner from Verdugo off Luis Severino. Yankees reliever Jonathan Loáisiga was able to prevent any more runs from scoring by striking out pinch-hitter Travis Shaw and Bobby Dalbec back to back.

After Tanner Houck kept New York off the bases in the top of the seventh, Verdugo came up clutch in the bottom of the frame by lining a ball into the left-center gap with the bases loaded. Schwarber and Hernández came in to score to make it 6-1 in favor of Boston, but Verdugo was thrown out at second base to end the inning.

Hansel Robles pitched a 1-2-3 inning for the Red Sox in the eighth.

Garrett Whitlock allowed a home run to Stanton in the ninth, but he was able to finish the job and seal a 6-2 Boston victory.

Game 1 of the ALDS is scheduled for 8:07 p.m. Thursday at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. Left-hander Shane McClanahan (10-6) is set to start for the Rays, while Cora did not say who would start for the Red Sox during Tuesday's postgame news conference.

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