A disappointing night in the Big Apple. The Yankees lose Game 1 as the bullpen cracks again, falling 1-3 to the Red Sox in the Wild Card Series. The loss takes us back to Michael Kay’s words from September: “The bullpen is the biggest reason why the New York Yankees… are not going to win.” Tuesday night proved him right. Now, Aaron Boone had to explain why.

Max Fried gave the Yankees everything they could have wanted for six innings. He threw 102 pitches over 6 1/3 shutout innings, gave just four hits, struck out six, and walked three. But with one out and no one on base, manager Aaron Boone called for the bullpen. The game changed almost immediately when Luke Weaver came in. Boston came back, took advantage of lost chances, and the lead was gone.

Aaron Boone explained his reasoning for removing Fried: “They pressured him pretty good in the fourth, fifth, sixth. I had a couple of baserunners each inning.” While Fried finished strong, Boone felt he had to work hard through those middle innings. “I felt like his command was not as good,” the skipper said. “He gave us what we needed and felt really good about the outing he put forth. But I felt pretty convicted, especially we got the double play. It’s like, let’s go get one more hitter and be good.”

So why Weaver? Aaron Boone pointed to matchups. “Rafaela is better against right-handed pitchers. Luke has been better against left-handed hitters. I wanted Williams or Cruz lined up for Story and Bregman, so I took Weaver there at the bottom of the order.” The move backfired. Weaver jumped ahead of Rafaela 0-2 but lost the strike zone. He then allowed a pair of key hits, pitches Boone admitted “were a little more up than he wanted.”

The move had a statistical risk. As per ESPN, Luke Weaver’s 2025 splits suggest that right-handed batters have batted better against him. This season, even Ceddanne Rafaela has done well against right-handed pitchers, hitting .260 with 9 home runs and 41 RBIs in 396 at-bats. On the other hand, when he faces left-handed pitchers, his average is .220.

Aaron Boone’s reasoning is backed up by statistics: selecting a lefty (Weaver) could weaken Rafaela’s strengths. However, when asked if the choice was based on the stats, he said, “No, I felt good about him going through there… Just trying to shorten it with, you know, with Williams and Bednar behind them.” He pushed back against the idea that spreadsheets decide every Yankees action, saying that this option was based on how the game felt, how confident they were in the matchup, and how the sequences worked out.

The damage has been done in Game 1, and it’s not only done by the arms. The offense also failed to deliver when it mattered the most.

Yanks’ hopes fade in the face of Crochet’s shutdown and offensive drought

Meanwhile, the Yankees’ bullpen collapsed, and the Red Sox’s arm didn’t give away any chance.

Garrett Crochet was never completely pushed by the Yankees’ offense. New York didn’t have many good baserunners other than Anthony Volpe’s solo home run in the second. Even when Judge, Paul, and Volpe had chances, they couldn’t get through because Crochet’s control and ability to strike out kept them off balance.

Volpe did put the Yankees ahead early on, but after that, Judge and the others didn’t say much at the plate. Why? Crochet reduces the likelihood of mistakes. He pitched on the edges, avoided walks, and consistently forced hitters to make weak contact or miss.

Crochet’s outing was great: 7 2/3 innings, 11 strikeouts, only four hits, and no walks. At one point, he even retired 17 straight batters. After the game, Judge himself said, “He was the best pitcher in the game.”

Not only Crochet, but Aroldis Chapman also had a good day on the mound. He came in in the ninth with the bases loaded and no outs. Chapman struck out Giancarlo Stanton (splitter), then got Jazz Chisholm Jr. to hit a short fly, and fanned Trent Grisham with a 101.2 mph fastball.

The Yankees need to win Game 2 if they want to save their season. No team in MLB history has ever won a Wild Card series after losing Game 1. Can the Pinstripes be the one?