The Red Sox’s season ended the way too many promising runs do: with a sharp, ugly stop when the lights got brightest. Boston was riding the kind of summer that can fool you into thinking something bigger is coming, but the Yankees slammed the door in the Wild Card series, winning both games and outscoring the Red Sox 18-2.
Manager Chad Tracy didn’t try to dress it up afterward. He acknowledged the highs Boston stacked up along the way, but made clear none of that changes how the ending feels.
"Regardless of all the special things that happened this summer, and there was quite a few, the goal was to win the World Series. That ended for us tonight," Tracy said after the game.
He added, "It's frustrating. There's a lot of things you could say, but in the moment, right now, the guys only care that we lost. It's going to take some time to get over that."
Boston’s path to October was built on a dramatic turnaround. The Red Sox opened the season among the league’s worst teams, then caught fire in July with a 15-game winning streak. They also put together a nine-game streak, had a Cy Young favorite in Sonny Gray, and welcomed Roman Anthony back after months on the IL.
None of it carried over once the postseason arrived. Anthony exited Game 1 with an injury and was removed from the roster.
Garrett Crochet, back after being out since April with an injury, gave up four earned runs. On the other side, Cam Schlittler and Max Fried kept Boston’s hottest bats quiet.
Tracy also went to the bullpen early in both games, pulling his starting pitcher before the innings could fully settle. The Yankees made him pay every time.
Now the Red Sox face a long wait until Spring Training, while the Yankees advance to meet the Rays in the American League Division Series.
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