By Owen Russell
The New York Yankees lost 6-2 to the Boston Red Sox in the American League Wild Card Game on Oct. 5, eliminating the team from the playoffs and making it 12 years since the franchise’s last World Series appearance.
The Wild Card contest was a relatively rough game for the Bronx Bombers. Starting pitcher Geritt Cole was pulled from the game after allowing three earned runs in only two innings pitched. The bats were quiet for the Yankees as well with the only two runs coming from home runs by designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton and first baseman Anthony Rizzo.
In the postgame press conference, Yankees Manager Aaron Boone stressed that he was proud of his team. “This was a challenging year. This was not an easy year for us, and when we had to play well the final two months, and compete at a high level, I thought we did that,” he said. The Yankees went 36-20 in August and September to secure a Wild Card berth in a tightly contested playoff race.
While the Yankees’ season has ended in disappointing fashion, the Boston Red Sox, their storied rival, has been catching fire recently. After rolling over the Tampa Bay Rays, the Red Sox have played out to a 2-1 lead over the Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series. The series has seen Boston crush an unprecedented 3 grand slams (bases-loaded home runs). Houston and Boston will continue battling it out for a spot in the World Series on Tuesday, Oct. 19 at Fenway Park.
The National League Championship Series is also underway, featuring the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers. The Braves made a late push to win the National League East, beating out the New York Mets in the process. Then, in the playoffs, the team beat the favored Milwaukee Brewers 3-1.
The Dodgers, on the other hand, won over 100 games, but ended up with the Wild Card, losing the National League West to the San Francisco Giants. In the Wild Card Game, however, utility player Chris Taylor hit a walk-off home run to beat the St. Louis Cardinals. Then, in the divisional round, Los Angeles got revenge on the Giants, winning a hotly contested series 3-2. So far, the Braves lead the Dodgers 2-0. They play again on Tuesday, Oct. 19 in Los Angeles.
Regardless of which of these four teams makes the World Series, one thing is for certain: the New York Yankees will be watching the fall classic from home yet again just like the Mets.