NEW YORK — Backed into a corner and staring down elimination, the Yankees refused to let their season end quietly, coming out swinging to knock the Red Sox flat and keep their October dream alive.
Austin Wells ripped an eighth-inning single that sent Jazz Chisholm Jr. racing home with the go-ahead run as the defending American League champions stormed past the Red Sox with a 4-3 victory in Wednesday’s Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium, forcing a decisive showdown between the historic rivals on Thursday evening.
Wells connected with a 3-2 Garrett Whitlock changeup, lining the seventh pitch of his at-bat onto the grass in right field, where it landed just fair. Chisholm was running on the pitch from first and charged around the bases at full speed, losing his helmet near third base and beating the throw to catcher Carlos Narváez with a headfirst slide.
Rookie right-hander Cam Schlittler will start the winner-take-all Game 3 on Thursday evening.
Having watched Game 1 from the bench, Ben Rice seized his first postseason opportunity, belting a two-run homer off Brayan Bello in the first inning that ignited the crowd. The advantage vanished when Carlos Rodón surrendered a two-run single to Trevor Story in the third.
New York regained the lead in the fifth. Trent Grisham walked, advanced on a wild pitch, and scored when Aaron Judge lifted a fly to left that Jarren Duran charged and dove for but couldn’t corral, the ball dropping for a run-scoring hit.
Story struck back in the sixth, hammering a 2-0 Rodón fastball into the left-field seats. One night after wearing criticism for hooking Max Fried, Yankees manager Aaron Boone visited his starter after a four-pitch walk, but Rodón steadied himself and escaped on a pop-out and double-play grounder.
Rodón permitted a walk, wild pitch and hit batsman to begin the seventh, but Fernando Cruz slammed the door on a bases-loaded jam, roaring and pointing skyward after inducing a Story flyout to center that preserved the tie.
