New York’s Aaron Judge is tagged out at the plate by Boston catcher Kevin Plawecki as he tries to score on a single by Giancarlo Stanton in the sixth inning Tuesday at Fenway Park in Boston. Charles Krupa/Associated Press
BOSTON — Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton connected on Ryan Brasier’s 95.2 mph four-seam fastball and crushed it 114.9 mph off the top of the Green Monster in the sixth inning.
Aaron Judge tried to score from first base to cut the Yankees’ deficit to one run. He instead got cut down at the plate. A perfectly executed relay play from center fielder Kiké Hernández to shortstop Xander Bogaerts to catcher Kevin Plawecki kept Boston ahead 3-1.
The Red Sox won 6-2 over the Yankees in the American League wild-card game and advanced to the American League Division Series to play Tampa Bay with Game 1 is Thursday in St. Petersburg, Florida.
“That was better than a homer for me personally,” Bogaerts said. “If that run scores, it’s 3-2. Stanton is at second base, the whole momentum is on their side. The dugout is getting pumped up. As Judge was out at home, I saw Stanton was pretty mad. He probably wanted a homer there but also an RBI, and he didn’t get that. And he probably felt like he didn’t do much because that run didn’t score. But that changed the game.
“I feel like that was one of the biggest moments in the game regardless of all the homers and all the walks,” Bogaerts added. “That changed momentum big time.”
Bogaerts fired a strike home to the third base side of the plate.
“Talk about big plays by a big player tonight in Xander, too,” Kyle Schwarber said. “Big homer, and Kiké with the great relay to him. … If I could label a play of the game, that would be play of the game for me, where Xander (throws out Judge) at the plate and keeps it a 3-1 game instead of a 3-2 game.”
Boston went ahead 4-1 in the bottom of the sixth inning right after the relay.
“We played defense,” Manager Alex Cora said. “When we play defense, we’re good. That kid in center field, his instincts are amazing. Dugie (Alex Verdugo) went for the ball, played it off the wall. He misses it. But Kiké was right there. And he made a great throw to Xander. And Xander made a great throw to Plaw, and it was a great tag.
“We want to be a good defensive team,” Cora added. “We haven’t done that throughout the season. We had our hot stretches, quote-unquote, but that was a great play.”
Former New York Yankees Bucky Dent (middle in Yankees cap) watches anonymously as Red Sox fans cheer during Tuesday’s game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston. Charles Krupa/Associated Press
BUCKY DENT was in the house. And no one seemed to know.
Dent, the light-hitting New York Yankees shortstop who broke the hearts of everyone in Red Sox Nation with his pop-fly home run in the 1978 one-game tiebreaker, returned to the scene of the crime on Tuesday for the wild-card game.
Wearing a Yankees cap and black jacket, the 69-year-old Dent went undetected while sitting among the masses behind home plate. During the game, Dent gave an interview to ESPN’s Buster Olney, saying “They don’t know I’m here yet.”
Dent also admitted he’s still asked about his home run heroics from 43 years ago at least two or three times per day.
Earlier this week, Dent talked to NJ Advance Media’s Randy Miller and admitted he wanted to be at Tuesday’s game.
“Any time you get New York and Boston going at it and it’s a one-game playoff for all the marbles again … it’s a big game,” Dent said. “Fenway should be electric like it was back when we were there in ‘78.”
Dent told the Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy, “I think Gerrit Cole will pitch a great game and I think the Yankees will beat ‘em.”
So much for that. Boston knocked Cole out of the game in the third inning.
Former Boston Red Sox player and NESN broadcaster Jerry Remy, who is battling lung cancer, raises his fist after throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. Charles Krupa/Associated Press
RED SOX broadcaster Jerry Remy returned to Fenway Park on Tuesday night and threw out the first pitch before Boston faced the Yankees.
Remy announced in early August that he was stepping away from the NESN booth to undergo treatment for lung cancer. He was away from the job for the final two months of the regular season.
On Tuesday, Remy entered the playing field on a golf cart through the center field garage door and was greeted by thunderous applause from the fans. He got off the cart near the pitcher’s mound and threw out the first pitch to his former teammate and fellow NESN broadcaster Dennis Eckersley.
The 68-year-old Remy already has overcome multiple relapses after first being diagnosed with lung cancer in 2008. He is in his 34th season as a NESN broadcaster. The Somerset, Mass. native played 10 seasons in the majors from 1975-1984. He spent his final seven seasons with Boston (1978-84).
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.