October 2, 2025

217 thoughts on “AL Wildcard Game 1: Yankees (0-0) vs. Red Sox (0-0) Tueday, September 30, 2025, 6:08 PM EDT”

  2. I find I’m really looking forward to this!
    Those NYA-BOS series in the day were the best baseball we’ll probably ever know.
    And today’s match-up is awesome.

  61. “Nightmarish figure”… in the sense that he keeps reminding baseball fans that the powers that be in baseball are too cowardly enforce consequences for cheating in their sport?
    True enough.

  65. It’s tough going into a game knowing you need a shutout to win. Nobody but Crochet, Whitlock and Chapman will pitch today.

    Crochet is a terrific pitcher but he’s not Maddox, Smoltz, or Pedro all pitchers championship Yankees beat.

  108. Doval last 14 days 067/176/067. I’m new to baseball but is 067/176/067 better than 350/400/625. The strategy with Doval was use him when he sucked but not when he was lights out.

    I didn’t realize he had been this good.

  109. Weaver’s abandoned on pitch of the pitch pairing that made him good.
    Why, exactly, would one do that?
    I believe that, in that whole inning, he threw ZERO cutters.

  119. Fried was at 102 pitches, his high was 111. I didn’t realize he had gone past 100 so many times. Weaver has been horrible for at least a month. But last year he was good so he had to come in.
    After this loss Boone will be 22-24 in post season play and 1-5 against Boston. But I’m sure even with a sweep Boone’s job is safe.

  120. It’s all on Boone.
    Crotchet’s been great, but Fried outpitched him (not giving up a run beats giving up a run).
    Brian knew Weaver was the wrongest call vs. Raffaela. Boone should know what Brian knows.

  125. Really, Wells? You TOOK that? He hasn’t been outside of the zone ONCE in this at-bat (the ball call notwithstanding), and this wasn’t CLOSE to being a ball.
    Really?
    REALLY?
    I hate that.

    1. This part of the sentence: “Wells had a better shot at doing something there than Rice?”
      …was unnecessary.

  127. Boone being SCHOOLED in how to manage an actually important game.
    Totally shown up.
    Publicly humiliated.
    Which could be great, except he has no f*ing clue it’s happening.

  131. They have this insane idea that it’s somehow unmanly to “give in” with two strikes and actually protect the strike zone (and, in this case, perhaps, their entire season).
    If it wasn’t manly enough for DiMaggio and Stan the Man and Ted F*ing Williams, it’s manly enough for you assholes!

    2. A disengagement violation in MLB occurs when a pitcher makes a third disengagement (pickoff attempt, step-off, etc.) during a plate appearance without a successful pickoff or advancement of a runner, resulting in a balk. A disengagement is the act of a pitcher stepping off the rubber or attempting a pickoff throw. The two-disengagement limit resets if a runner advances a base during the plate appearance.

  134. Only a genius manager could find a way to not get his hottest hitter and second best hitter overall a start, or even an At Bat. Boone said it wasn’t a close call to start Wells over Rice.

  139. Yankees have no shot against top pitchers. Crochet had a 2.59 era, it shouldn’t have been automatic that Fried needed to pitch a shutout to win. But that was a sad fact.

  151. And on cue.
    Load the bases with zero outs and score ZERO runs.

    But the loss is, as it is most of the time, entirely on the frail shoulders of Aaron Boone.

  152. Fried was terrific.
    And he might actually learn from this – no more dicking around after 2 outs; if he wants a chance at a win, he’s going to have to be ready to pitch at least 10 innings.

    3. Grisham hit 182/652 against LHPs this season. He had 4 strikeouts today. You could’ve made a case for Slater or better using Cabby or Rosario in the outfield. Jazz hit 242/733 against LHPs. He’s much better against LHPs than Grisham.

  157. Boone “they made Fried work.” Boone thinks he had Nelson and Stanton in the pen. BTW Rafaela 220/679 vs LHP and 260/720 vs RHP so Boone brought in a RHP. Rafaela 2-6 with TWO HOME RUNS vs Weaver.

  158. Starting Grisham, 182/652 vs. LHP in 2025 (see above), is so Boone. Then sitting a hot hitter in Rice for Wells. That is the sort of stuff you cannot overcome. Also, the bullpen just can’t avoid allowing runs, that’s on the pitching coach.

    3. Yeah, I was going to add that they’d have eventually blown the game anyways. But still. Let Williams blow it in the 8th or Bednar in the 9th, not Weaver in the 7th when Fried could have still pitched easily.

    4. Of course, as Kay likes to say, that’s the fallacy of the predetermined outcome. Bednar may have blown the game, but with a different set of hitters … maybe not.

  160. Expected result, but disappointing nonetheless since it was obviously a winnable game. Some more intelligent managing and at least a few hitters with a 2-strike approach and this could have been a victory. Of course, if they had those they would have easily won the division.

  161. Jazz Chisholm Jr. was clearly displeased about not being in the lineup tonight. Had his back turned the entire interview as reporters asked about watching from the bench tonight.

    Said “I guess” when asked if he was surprised that he wasn’t playing.

    Grisham should’ve been the one sitting.

    1. Boone had a feeling. Same with Weaver against a guy Weaver can’t get out. Same as with Wells over Rice.

    2. I wondered if inserting him in the game was about massaging his ego after not starting.

      Maybe a manager who’d been with him for 16 months might have had some inkling about that possibility.

    3. “Same with Weaver against a guy Weaver can’t get out.” Remember when he brought Weaver on to face Lowe in a scoreless game when Lowe owns him, and Lowe doubled in a run?

      Boone will just keep doing the same dumb stuff over and over again.

    1. Maybe if enough guys are in the press about what a clown he is, he’ll lose the locker room and Cashman will have no choice.

  163. Was Boone just being stupid, or was he throwing the game?

    You don’t surrender when you’re winning.
    You don’t throw away your umbrella in a rainstorm just because you’re still dry.
    If you actually have the lead against Crochet, and it’s the playoffs, and you have the reigning AL Pitcher of the Month throwing a shutout through 6.1 with just 102 pitches – then you keep him in until he tells you he’s done. I don’t care if your bullpen is ’96 Mariano setting up for ’00 Mariano. You let Fried cook.

  164. Sorry guys, sounds like it was a crappy game. I stand by my decision to never watch another postseason series while Boone is the manager. It is just masochism to put yourself through it. They will never win a championship with such a poor tactical manager. You can be the greatest manager of personalities in the world, but that’s NOT what wins games in the postseason.

    Imagine how well they would have done the last decade with even an AVERAGE tactical manager.

  166. If Judge actually wants to win a title, he should lobby Hal to fire Boone and Cashman. And get Cole, Fried, and Rodon to back him up. Maybe Hal would actually hear it if it comes from the 4 guys he’s committed $1B+ to.

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