The Boston Red Sox spent two straight games getting the same painful script against the New York Yankees: a starter gave them a real opening, then the bullpen let it slip away.
Payton Tolle did it in Game 1, working 4 2/3 strong innings before Boston’s relief corps unraveled. Sonny Gray followed the same path on Wednesday in Game 2, and when he was pulled, the Red Sox never recovered. The final scores tell part of the story - a 9-0 loss in Game 1 and a 9-2 loss in Game 2 - but both games were still hanging around before the starters exited.
After Game 2, Gray made it clear he wanted the ball longer.
"I would’ve liked to have been trusted in that moment," Gray said. " ...
I think I'm the best pitcher in the American League going through the order the third time. I think that's a fact.
I would have liked to live or die with me in that moment, but that's the competitor I am. You can probably ask the guys and they felt the same way."
"I'm the best pitcher in the American League going through the order for a third time. I think that's a fact.
I would've liked to live or die with me in that moment...ask the guys in here if they felt the same way. I felt strong, confident."
Sonny Gray on getting pulled in the… pic.twitter.com/hIWTd77Aso
Gray’s frustration landed because he had been Boston’s ace all season, and the Red Sox had leaned on that starting rotation all year as they fought their way into the playoffs. The bullpen had been one of the better units in baseball during the regular season, but it came apart after Game 1 and couldn’t stop the bleeding again in Game 2.
Willson Contreras was asked whether Gray had been removed too early, and the Red Sox leader answered with a "lips sealed" motion.
He also took a pointed shot at the way the game is being managed.
"It's not enough when you have talent, or you have data, or computers that are telling you what to do. This is baseball. The data is here to help us...but you need experience and to bet on the guys to win games," Contreras said.
The emotions were obvious after a playoff exit to a rival, and the timing only made the comments sharper. Boston had already seen one missed chance in Game 1, then watched the same pattern repeat in Game 2.
The Red Sox were also facing a Yankees team without Aaron Judge, which made the outcome sting even more. On paper, Boston had a path to move on. Instead, New York won with Max Fried and Cam Schlittler leading the way, while Boston’s bullpen and offense both came up short.
When the 2026 season gets remembered, there will be plenty of good to discuss for the Red Sox. But there will also be the missed chances, and this series just added another one.
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