Sonny Gray Frustrated by Early Exit as Yankees Sweep Red Sox in Wild-Card Series

The New York Yankees defeated the Boston Red Sox 9-2 on Wednesday to complete a two-game sweep, outscoring Boston 18-2 across the series.

The New York Yankees eliminated the Boston Red Sox from the postseason on Wednesday night with a 9-2 victory, securing a two-game sweep of the wild-card series. Boston was outscored 18-2 over the two contests at Yankee Stadium and suffered a 26-inning postseason scoring drought that ended only when Willson Contreras hit a solo home run in the sixth inning. The loss marked the second consecutive year the Yankees have ended the Red Sox's season in the playoffs.

Red Sox starter Sonny Gray expressed frustration after rookie manager Chad Tracy removed him in the fifth inning following 70 pitches. Gray, an 18-game winner during the regular season, left the game trailing 1-0 with two outs and runners at the corners after surrendering a single to Ben Rice. Reliever Erik Miller entered to face Cody Bellinger, who hit an RBI single to extend the lead. Gray stated he believed he was the best pitcher in the American League when facing a lineup for the third time and wished he had been trusted to continue.

New York's offense produced 26 hits during the series despite playing without the injured Aaron Judge. In the sixth inning on Wednesday, the Yankees broke the game open with a six-run outburst. Cody Bellinger hit a three-run home run off Garrett Whitlock to make the score 8-1. Garrett Crochet, making his first appearance since April 25 due to a shoulder injury, failed to record an out during the rally after Spencer Jones reached safely on a strikeout involving a wild pitch.

The defeat concluded a season in which Boston started 32-46 before a 32-5 surge helped them become the first team to qualify for the postseason after losing 44 of their first 75 games. Manager Chad Tracy, who replaced Alex Cora in April, also drew criticism for his Game 1 decision to pull starter Payton Tolle after 83 pitches and 4⅔ innings in a 9-0 loss.