Red Sox turned away by Yanks in Wild Card Series for 2nd straight year

NEW YORK -- Just when it looked like Willson Contreras had given the Red Sox some much-needed life with a solo homer to right-center with two outs in the sixth inning of Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series against the Yankees, the season essentially went up in flames in a disaster-filled bottom of the frame.

The Statcast-projected 387-foot shot felt significant in the moment because it snapped a drought for the Red Sox of 26 postseason innings without a run dating back to Game 2 of last year’s Wild Card Series (also against the Yankees).

But the Bronx Bombers made the short burst of momentum from Contreras feel insignificant when they erupted for six runs in a game-breaking, series-breaking bottom of the sixth inning that sent deafening roars throughout Yankee Stadium and the Red Sox to a 9-2 loss on Wednesday. Those reverberating sounds were a harsh reminder to the Red Sox that this was likely to be their last game of 2026.

With two flat performances in the final two nights of September, during which they were outscored, 18-2, the Red Sox were denied a chance to play in October. It also extended the streak to five straight seasons of no postseason baseball at Fenway Park.

“Regardless of all the special things that happened this summer, and there were quite a few, the goal is to win the World Series, and that ended for us tonight,” said Red Sox manager Chad Tracy. “So it's frustrating. And there's a lot of things you can say, but in the moment, right now, I think the guys only care that we lost. And it's going to take some time to get over that.”

It will go down as a roller-coaster spring, summer and brief autumn in Boston. There was the 32-46 hole, which the Sox somehow dug out of with a season-altering 32-5 stretch from June 25-Aug. 7 that included a franchise-tying winning streak of 15 games.

Then there was the final month of the regular season, which included injuries to key players and a stunning lack of offense, two themes that carried into the postseason.

“I'm proud of what we accomplished,” said veteran starter Sonny Gray, who took the loss. “Sour taste in your mouth for the ending. But we were left for dead there for a while, and I will definitely remember that run that we went on and what that felt like, because I've never experienced anything like that in my career -- to dig ourselves out of that hole and to put ourselves in this situation, that was a lot of fun.”

For the Red Sox, the fun ended in New York before it even started.

Quite simply, very little went right for the Sox in this two-game sweep at the hands of their rivals, which lacked the drama of last year’s set that went the distance (also won by the Yankees).

“For our season to end the same way that it did last year against our biggest rival, it sucks” said Red Sox lefty Garrett Crochet.

The bottom of the sixth served as a microcosm of the futility and frustration -- the inning that deep-sixed Tracy and his club.

With Contreras creating some energy in the Boston dugout, Tracy tried to add to it by bringing on Crochet for his first appearance in a game since April 25.

Crochet’s quest to get back in time for postseason play after left shoulder woes was a compelling storyline for the Red Sox, but one that didn’t work in real time.

The lefty seemed to get off to a solid start when he struck out Spencer Jones on a sweeper. But catcher Adley Rutschman’s block wasn’t a clean one, and he appeared to hesitate before throwing to first after retrieving the wild pitch. The initial call of out was overturned on replay. Jones then stole second and moved to third on Rutschman’s throwing error.

From there, things devolved. Crochet didn’t get an out and was charged with four runs, though only one of the three hits he allowed was well-struck.

“Personally, to think that I busted my [butt] the past five months, and for it to end that way, on a personal note, it's tough,” said Crochet. “I just wanted to come back and contribute to the team as best I could, and I let them down.”

Gray turned in a strong enough start for the Sox, giving up six hits over 4 2/3 innings and leaving with his team down 1-0.

But the offense never quite came around, and the bullpen had a second straight spotty night. And just like that, the season was over.

“Obviously disappointed,” said shortstop Trevor Story. “A lot of thoughts. Proud of this group, proud of this team. With all the [criticism] and everything around, the way this team came together, and really turned the season around to get back into this position is something that was special, and we're not going to forget that. Obviously, it's not about doing amazing things in the regular season. It’s about the postseason.”