Red Sox lose in extra innings; drop to 4 1/2 games out of final AL wild-card spot
The Red Sox dropped a crucial game in the series opener with the Yankees from the Bronx on Thursday night.
Boston’s pitching, which began with right-hander Cooper Criswell earning the start, held New York to just one run through the 5 1/3 innings, giving up four hits while walking three and striking out four batters. The Red Sox pitching staff held the Yankees to just a single run through the first nine frames before Josh Winckowski surrendered the game-winning hit to Juan Soto in the bottom of the 10th inning, resulting in a 2-1 loss.
Nestor Cortes and the entire Yankees pitching staff struck out the Red Sox 14 times. The southpaw tossed five innings, striking out nine, yielding a home run to Danny Jansen in the top of the fifth inning. The Red Sox offense overall was lifeless, similar to what fans have witnessed over the last few weeks. Jarren Duran, Rafael Devers, and Romy Gonzalez combined to go 0-for-12 with five strikeouts; overall, the team produced just four hits and went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring.
Despite the loss, the season isn’t over yet for the Red Sox; however, they face an uphill climb to the last American League wild-card spot. Rafael Devers spoke to the media following the game and put on a positive front.
"You have to stay positive," Devers told reporters through a Spanish translator. "You can come tomorrow and win and then win the next two games, and you’re right back there again in the fight. You have to keep playing, stay positive and anything can happen."
With 15 games left, Boston is 4-6 this month and are rapidly running out of time. The Red Sox will continue their four-game series with the Yankees from the Bronx on Friday night. The first pitch is at 7:05 p.m. and can be seen on Apple TV+.
Red Sox reliever Josh Winckowski took the loss (4-2) after giving up the winning single to Juan Soto in the 10th inning. For Soto, it was his first game-winning hit as a member of the Yankees.
“We all know how fun October is,” Soto said after the game. “I think we’re carrying that in the last month of the season and try to take it all the way to November.”
Winckowski is 0-1 with a 6.30 ERA over his last five appearances and has allowed seven earned runs over his last 10 innings on the mound.
Boston announced All-Star right-handed pitcher Tanner Houck will start on Friday night. Boston wanted to see how his shoulder felt on Thursday before deciding on re-inserting him into the rotation.
The Red Sox had been monitoring Houck’s condition since Sept. 4, because the righty hadn’t bounced back following his start like he had all season. If Houck was unable to start on Friday, rookie righty Richard Fitts would have made his second big league start and his first against the organization that traded him in December as part of the Alex Verdugo trade. Fitts will either be optioned back to the WooSox or remain with Boston and pitch out of the bullpen.
Houck has tossed 169 2/3 innings over 28 starts this season. The right-handed hurler has been the Sox’ best pitcher this season and owns a 3.24 ERA heading into Friday night. If the Sox spiral further out of the playoff race, the club could shut him down; if he remains in the rotation, he is expected to make three more starts.
More on Soto: Following the game, the Yankees slugger, who will be a free agent at the end of the season, reflected on his first walk-off hit while wearing pinstripes.
"So many things—the crowd, my teammates, and everybody,” Soto said, with a laugh after the game. “Those guys were running hard at me. That’s one of the biggest things I’m going to remember. Wellsie [Austin Wells] was coming in, and I just didn’t know where to go. It was definitely a fun way to finish the game."
With the Yankees’ win, they continue to lead the Orioles in the American League East by two games. Baltimore was idle on Thursday.
Aaron Judge has experienced a power outage; he has not homered in 72 plate appearances, which is a career high.
