Saturday night at Fenway Park was loaded with playoff implications, high-stakes drama, and the kind of baseball that keeps fans on the edge of their seats. When the dust settled, it was Max Fried and the New York Yankees who had the upper hand, notching a 5-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox. The win gave Fried his major league-leading 17th of the season and pushed the Yankees 2 1/2 games ahead of Boston in the race for the American League's top wild card spot. With just 14 games left in the regular season, every pitch, every swing, and every managerial decision seemed magnified under the bright September lights.
Before the first pitch, Boston manager Alex Cora was already feeling the weight of the moment. Asked about the team's postseason preparations, Cora didn't mince words. "I think we should stop talking October, to be honest with you," he said. "There’s a lot of stuff going on, and we have to play better. I’m not saying we’re in a bad spot, but I think we have to wait to see if October is part of this." That sense of urgency would only intensify as the evening unfolded.
The Yankees wasted no time putting pressure on Red Sox starter Brayan Bello, who had previously blanked New York in each of his last two starts. On this night, though, Bello struggled to find his rhythm. The Yankees sent eight men to the plate in the first inning, scoring twice on a sacrifice fly by Cody Bellinger and an infield single from Jazz Chisholm Jr. Bello managed to escape further damage with back-to-back strikeouts, but the tone for the night was set.
Chisholm, who has been on a tear lately, delivered another standout performance. He racked up three hits, including a solo home run that moved him to the brink of joining the exclusive 30-30 club—just one homer shy of 30 for the season, with 30 stolen bases already in his pocket. Only Alfonso Soriano in 2002 and 2003 has achieved that feat in Yankees history. Chisholm's hot streak couldn't have come at a better time for New York, as he notched his third consecutive multihit game and drove in three runs. "He’s been incredible for us," said Yankees manager Aaron Boone. "His energy and production are infectious. We’re feeding off it right now."
For Boston, the loss was a gut punch, especially after entering the weekend with hopes of solidifying their postseason position. Instead, the Red Sox now find themselves just a half-game ahead of both the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners, who are tied for the third wild card spot. The Texas Rangers lurk just 1 1/2 games behind. What once seemed like a near-certain playoff berth is now anything but guaranteed. The Red Sox have dropped three straight to the Yankees after previously dominating their AL East rivals in eight consecutive matchups. The tables have turned at the worst possible time for Boston.
Red Sox fans saw a glimmer of hope in the eighth inning, when Jarren Duran came off the bench and blasted a pinch-hit home run to pull Boston within 4-3. The Fenway crowd erupted, sensing a possible late-inning rally. "It’s baseball. It’s back and forth like crazy. I think we’re just gonna keep stepping up and keep moving forward. There’s nothing much we can do," Duran said after the game. But the Yankees answered right back in the ninth. Aaron Judge singled, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a double by Bellinger. That insurance run quieted the crowd and made the Red Sox's task all the more daunting in the bottom of the ninth.
David Bednar came on to pitch the ninth for New York, slamming the door for his 24th save of the season. It was a fitting capstone for a game in which the Yankees bullpen shined. When Fried ran into trouble in the sixth, giving up three consecutive singles to trim the lead to 4-2, Luke Weaver entered and struck out Ceddanne Rafaela and Romy Gonzalez to end the threat. That moment may have been the turning point, as Boston never got closer than Duran’s solo shot in the eighth.
Boston's offense has gone cold at the worst time. Over their last three games, the Red Sox are just 3-for-31 (.096) with runners in scoring position. The absence of Roman Anthony, sidelined since September 3 with an oblique strain, has been a major blow. Anthony was just cleared to begin walking on a treadmill on Saturday, but his return is still uncertain. In his absence, Boston has gone 3-6 and posted a meager .295 on-base percentage. "Sometimes less is more. I feel like that’s something that we need to do a little bit better job of," said Alex Bregman, who tried to spark the offense with a solo homer in the fifth. "Over the last two days, we’ve been pretty amped up. Obviously, we’re excited. We got a packed house here at Fenway."
Brayan Bello, Boston’s young starter, was candid about his struggles. "It was a bad start for me," he admitted through a team translator. "I don’t think I was competing from the first inning to the last inning. I didn’t have the command today, and I wasn’t attacking the hitters." Bello lasted just five innings, giving up four runs on five hits and three walks. For a team relying on young talent down the stretch, the pressure is mounting. Manager Alex Cora acknowledged the challenge: "Not much you can do," he said of preparing his players for the spotlight. "Just talk to them and help them out, just the same way we did earlier this season. It just happens that everything gets magnified now, right? Every play, every decision."
Even Boston’s veterans are feeling the heat. Cora turned to closer Aroldis Chapman in the ninth inning, despite the Red Sox trailing—a rare move that underscored the urgency. Chapman allowed a single to Judge and, after a nine-pitch duel, surrendered Bellinger’s double. The Fenway faithful, hoping for a walk-off miracle, watched as the Yankees padded their lead instead. For Chapman, it was the second straight game allowing at least one hit and one run, a sign that even the team’s most reliable arms are feeling the postseason pressure.
The Yankees, meanwhile, are hitting their stride at the right moment. With Fried anchoring the rotation and Chisholm providing a spark, New York has flipped the script in the rivalry and seized control of the wild card race. The next chapter comes Sunday night, as Yankees right-hander Will Warren faces Boston ace Garrett Crochet in what promises to be another tense showdown. With the wild card chase tighter than ever, every game is a must-watch affair.
As the regular season winds down, the Yankees and Red Sox are locked in a battle where every at-bat could tip the scales. If Saturday’s clash is any indication, the final stretch is going to be a wild ride. Stay tuned—October baseball is still up for grabs, and neither team is backing down.
