By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer
NEW YORK — Rookie right-hander Cam Schlittler struck out 12 as he shut down Boston with 100 mph heat, and the New York Yankees took advantage of a pair of misplays in a four-run fourth inning to beat the rival Red Sox, 4-0, on Thursday night for a 2-1 American League Wild Card Series win and a Division Series matchup against Toronto.
New York became the first team to lose the opener and advance from the expanded first round, which began in 2022. The Yankees start the best-of-five ALDS on Saturday at the AL East champion Blue Jays.
A 24-year-old right-hander who debuted July 9, Schlitter grew up a Red Sox fan in Walpole, Massachusetts, but said he wanted to play for the Yankees. He had pitched against the Red Sox only once before – as a freshman at Northeastern in a 2020 spring training exhibition game.
He outpitched Connelly Early, a 23-year-old left-hander who debuted on Sept. 9 and became Boston’s youngest postseason starting pitcher since 21-year-old Babe Ruth in 1916.
Schlittler struck out two more than any other Yankees pitcher had in his postseason debut, allowing five singles in eight innings and walking none. He threw 11 pitches of 100 mph or higher – including six in the first inning, one more than all Yankees pitchers had combined before previously since pitch tracking started in 2008.
Schlittler threw 75 of 107 pitches for strikes, starting 22 of 29 batters with strikes and topping out at 100.8 mph. David Bednar worked around a leadoff walk in the ninth as the Red Sox failed to advance a runner past second.
Bucky Dent threw out the ceremonial first pitch on the 47th anniversary of his go-ahead, three-run homer for the Yankees at Fenway Park in an AL East tiebreaker game, and the Yankees went on to dominate their longtime rival the way they used to.
New York won its second straight after losing eight of nine postseason meetings with Boston dating to 2004 and edged ahead 14-13 in postseason games between the teams. The Red Sox cost themselves with a defense that committed a big league-high 116 errors during the regular season.
New York’s rally began when Bellinger hit a soft fly into the triangle among center fielder Ceddane Rafaela, right fielder Wilyer Abreu and second baseman Romy González. The ball fell just in front of Rafaela, 234 feet from the plate, as Bellinger hustled into second with a double.
Giancarlo Stanton walked on a full count and, with one out, Amed Rosario grounded a single into left, just past diving shortstop Trevor Story, to drive in Bellinger with the go-ahead run.
Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s single loaded the bases, and Anthony Volpe hit an 86 mph grounder just past Abreu, who had been shifted toward second, and into right for a RBI single and a 2-0 lead.
After a catcher’s interference call on Omar Narváez was overturned on a video review, Austin Wells hit a potential double-play grounder that first baseman Nathaniel Lowe tried to backhand on an in-between hop. The ball glanced off his glove and into shallow right field as two runs scored.
Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon made the defensive play of the game when he caught Jarren Duran’s eighth-inning foul pop and somersaulted into Boston’s dugout, then emerged smiling and apparently unhurt.
UP NEXT
Right-hander Luis Gil (4-1, 3.32 ERA) or right-hander Will Warren (9-8, 4.44) likely starts the ALDS opener Saturday against Toronto, which is expected to go with right-hander Kevin Gausman (10-11, 3.59) or right-hander Shane Bieber (4-2, 3.57).