Chris Sale, Red Sox Hang On to Beat Aaron Judge, Yankees 5-4 in Game 1

The Boston Red Sox held on for dear life with a 5-4 win over the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Friday at Fenway Park.    

Shaking off any concerns about his recent dip in velocity, Chris Sale shut down the dangerous Yankees lineup by scattering five singles and striking out eight over 5.1 innings. He was charged with two runs after reliever Ryan Brasier allowed both of his inherited runners to score.  

J.D. Martinez got Boston’s offense going with a three-run homer in the first inning. Steve Pearce and Xander Bogaerts each added an RBI in the bottom of the third. The Red Sox chased off Yankees starter J.A. Happ after he gave up five runs on four hits and one walk in two innings.  

Chris Sale Silences Critics with Outstanding Start

One of the major talking points in Boston coming into the playoffs was how Sale’s velocity would look after a disturbing downward trend late in the regular season. 

Per CBS Sports’ Mike Axisa, Sale’s average fastball velocity was 90.2 mph in his final start Sept. 26 against the Baltimore Orioles. 

The seven-time All-Star seems to have figured out something in the eight days he had to prepare for Game 1:

New York appeared to be in for a long night. The Bronx Bombers didn’t have a runner reach third base until the sixth inning. 

This start was everything the Red Sox needed it to be and also the first of its kind for the team since 2013:

It was also a vast improvement for Sale after he allowed nine runs on 13 hits in 9.2 innings over two appearances against the Houston Astros in last year’s ALDS. 

Sale is one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball when he’s at the top of his game. He led all AL starting pitchers with 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings and ranked second with 6.5 FanGraphs wins above replacement (min. 150 innings). 

If the Red Sox have to turn to Sale again in the series, they can feel much better about his ability to silence one of the best lineups in MLB.

Red Sox Bullpen Woes Threatening to Derail Dream Season

Unfortunately for the Red Sox, their bullpen had to log significant innings in Game 1. Relief pitching has been their Achilles’ heel all season, and it nearly cost them in their first playoff game. 

When Sale departed, the Red Sox held a five-run lead. That has virtually guaranteed them a victory since they acquired the 6’6″ left-hander prior to the start of last season:

Once Boston manager Alex Cora went to his stable of relief pitchers, starting with Brasier, an air of panic set in over Fenway Park:

The Yankees loaded the bases against Boston relievers in the sixth and seventh innings. Brasier and Brandon Workman combined to give up three hits, two walks and one run in just 0.2 innings. 

Rick Porcello and Craig Kimbrel settled things down by recording the final six outs to preserve the win. 

Boston’s bullpen scuffled down the stretch with an AL-worst 4.84 ERA in September. That group did everything possible to give away this game, but the Yankees weren’t able to cash in on those chances in the later innings. 

After a historic season in which the Red Sox won a franchise-record 108 games, the bullpen has to pick up its performance to avoid an October disappointment. 

Yankees Missed Opportunities Set Up Must-Win Game 2

The good news for New York is there’s a quick turnaround heading into Game 2 on Saturday.

The bad news is this is a game the Yankees will reflect back on if they don’t win the series. It started out looking like a potential disaster. Happ, who had a 2.98 ERA in 21 career appearances against the Red Sox, only recorded six outs. 

Once Happ was gone, four Yankees relievers combined to allow four hits and two walks with five strikeouts over six scoreless innings. 

Their ability to put zeroes on the board gave the offense chances to at least tie the game. Gleyber Torres struck out as the go-ahead run with the bases loaded in the sixth inning. Didi Gregorius grounded out with the tying run on second to get Boston out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh. 

Aaron Judge closed New York’s deficit to one run with a solo homer off Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel to start the ninth:

Kimbrel settled down after that to strike out Brett Gardner, Giancarlo Stanton and Luke Voit in order to earn the save. 

With the Yankees failing to take advantage of opportunities Boston handed them, they are facing a must-win scenario Saturday. 

Last season, they were able to overcome a 2-0 series deficit against the Cleveland Indians in the ALDS by winning three straight games. But winning away from Yankee Stadium in October has been a difficult task. They are 1-7 in their last eight road playoff games dating back to 2017. 

Trying to win three straight games against a Red Sox team capable of scoring runs in bunches—and a potential return for Sale in Game 4 or 5—makes it imperative that New York doesn’t continue to miss chances like it did Friday. 

What’s Next?

The Red Sox will look to take a commanding lead in the series by sending David Price (16-7, 3.58 ERA) to the mound against Masahiro Tanaka (12-6, 3.75 ERA) and the Yankees for Saturday’s Game 2 at 8:15 p.m. ET.