Baseball

Cam Schlittler and the Yankees eliminate the Red Sox
Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Cam Schlittler and the Yankees eliminate the Red Sox
Credit: X

Red Sox. Yankees. The ultimate playoff game. What more could you ask for in the final game of the best-of-second series?

The two natural rivals faced off in the Bronx tonight for the right to face the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday, on the heels of the start of the division series.

Rookies Cam Schlittler and Connelly Early were on the mound. And to start the game, both players didn't look like rookies. We wondered who would go down first.

In the end, it was the Yankees who struck first. Early let batters get on base and Amed Rosario produced the game's first run by driving in Cody Bellinger.

Clearly, the fourth inning was too much for the Red Sox rookie. With the bases loaded, Anthony Volpe put the ball safely into the outfield to make it 2-0. But the bases were still loaded, thanks in part to the Red Sox's ugly defense.

Another play related to the questionable defense allowed the Yankees to score two more runs, to make it 4-0. And that's WHEN Alex Cora chose to change his pitcher… three or four batters too late.

Meanwhile, Schlittler continued to dominate on the mound.

In fact, he pitched eight innings, didn't give up a run or a walk… and passed 12 guys in the mitt, which is a record for a Yankees rookie pitcher in the playoffs. He even inspired Ryan McMahon to do… this.

It was really the pitcher (and the big offensive inning) that took his team to the division series tonight. Because yes, the Red Sox are eliminated and the Yankees will face the Blue Jays, in Toronto, starting Saturday.

It's going to be a fascinating series.

This content was created with the help of AI.

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