Cam Schlittler was carving up Boston through five innings, but Payton Tolle was doing enough to keep the Red Sox within striking distance. That’s what made the hook in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series feel so hard to explain.
Tolle had allowed one run on five hits to the New York Yankees and had gotten the first two outs of the fifth on 83 pitches. Then Chad Tracy went to the bullpen. The move opened the door for a disaster.
Erik Miller needed only three pitches to face Ben Rice, and on the third one, Rice launched a home run for the Yankees’ second run. Boston never scored, so the blast didn’t change the outcome - but it underscored how costly the pitching change was.
The choice to turn to Miller was baffling on its face, and the results made it look even worse. The former San Francisco Giants reliever struggled badly in September, posting a 7.36 ERA and 2.05 WHIP across 7.1 innings in eight appearances. Command has been a problem for him for a while, and after walking just three batters in 11.2 innings in August, he issued nine free passes in September.
Once Tolle was removed, things unraveled for Boston. Greg Weissert did manage to get through three outs without allowing any of Miller’s inherited runners to score, but the rest of the bullpen could not hold up.
Alec Gamboa struggled in the seventh inning after a strong September that had already taken a hit in his final outing against the Chicago Cubs, when he gave up three runs in two innings. Wyatt Olds and Brayan Bello also had rough stretches, allowing three runs and two runs, respectively.
That’s what makes the early pull so damaging. If Tolle had stayed in while he was still pitching well, the game could have remained tight, and the Yankees might have been forced to burn through their high-leverage relievers before Game 2. Instead, New York cruised without using Brent Headrick, Carlos Rodón or David Bednar.
Tolle never looked like he needed to come out. Rice had already doubled off him in the first inning, but the big left-hander handled traffic well and stayed composed. Miller may have been effective against left-handed hitters during the regular season, but his recent form hardly suggested he was the right answer in a postseason spot against Rice, who hit 41 home runs in the regular season.
Tracy needed the feel of the game there, and he didn’t have it. Now the Red Sox have to win tomorrow to keep their season alive.
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For Boston fans, the setup comes with an immediate talking point beyond the rivalry on the field: who gets to frame the game, and from which side. With one analyst wearing Red Sox colors and two familiar Yankees voices in the mix, the booth itself has become part of the anticipation for a series that was always going to carry extra edge. [Read more 🡒]