The Red Sox did not punch their postseason ticket with a walk-off at Fenway Park or even with a win of their own. They got there the hard way, and in a way nobody could have drawn up: Houston lost, and Mike Yastrzemski delivered the swing that made it happen.
Yastrzemski, the grandson of Red Sox icon Carl Yastrzemski, broke a tie in the sixth inning Sunday with a three-run home run for the Atlanta Braves in a 4-2 win over the Houston Astros. That result locked Boston into an American League wild-card berth and sent the Red Sox back to October.
It was a strange and fitting twist. Mike Yastrzemski has never worn a Red Sox uniform, but his biggest hit of the season ended up serving the franchise his grandfather spent 23 years with.
Boston had already taken its own stumble earlier in the day, falling 5-1 to the Tampa Bay Rays. The Red Sox needed either a win or an Astros loss to finish the job. They didn’t get the first part, but the second part came through because of Yastrzemski.
The Braves’ victory carried its own weight, too. Atlanta clinched the National League East title and secured its seventh division championship in nine seasons, while also earning a home series to open the postseason.
For Boston, though, the headline belonged to the surname that has long meant something at Fenway. Carl Yastrzemski played his entire career with the Red Sox, won the 1967 American League Triple Crown and MVP Award, and finished with 3,419 hits. His grandson’s name has followed him around the majors, and on Sunday it became part of Red Sox history again.
Boston began the season 32-46 before staging one of baseball’s most remarkable turnarounds. On Sunday, the final step came from Houston, and from a Yastrzemski.
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Red Sox Are One Step From An October Celebration
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Boston has already been knocked out of the division race, so the focus has shifted to the wild-card path and, most likely, a familiar opponent in the Yankees. Even with the format still to be finalized, the larger picture is clear: the Red Sox are close enough now that one night can settle the whole thing, and the only real question is whether they clinch it themselves or get a little help along the way. [Read more 🡒]