Bronx, NY — The Bronx Bombers are moving on.
After dominating the Boston Red Sox in consecutive games, New York completed a two-game sweep of its division rival and punched its ticket to the American League Division Series with another convincing postseason performance.
The Yankees opened the Wild Card Series with a 9-0 shutout and followed it with an equally impressive 9-2 victory, continuing an offensive surge that has made an immediate statement in October.
New York’s bats were relatively quiet during the opening three innings of Game 2, but the Yankees eventually found their rhythm.
Luis García Jr. broke the scoreless deadlock with a solo home run off Boston starter Sonny Gray, giving New York its first lead and providing the spark the Yankees needed.
The Yankees added to their advantage in the fifth inning when Cody Bellinger delivered an RBI single that brought Austin Wells across the plate, extending New York’s lead to 2-0.
Gray’s afternoon came to an end after 4⅔ innings. He surrendered six hits and two earned runs while striking out six Yankees.
While New York’s offense gradually came alive, its pitching continued to keep Boston under control.
Max Fried took the mound for the Yankees and delivered the type of postseason performance New York needed. Fried worked six innings, allowing just three hits and one earned run while striking out six.
Boston finally broke through against Fried in the sixth inning when Willson Contreras launched a solo home run, cutting into the Yankees’ advantage.
But whatever momentum Boston gained disappeared almost immediately.
The Yankees erupted in the bottom of the sixth, sending six runs across the plate and turning a close game into a rout. The biggest blow came from Bellinger, who launched a three-run homer that pushed New York’s lead to 8-1.
The Yankees added another run to put even more distance between themselves and the Red Sox.
Boston attempted to mount a comeback in the seventh inning when Nick Sogard sent a solo home run over the right-field wall against Will Warren. The blast made it 8-2, but it proved to be Boston’s final offensive highlight of the afternoon.
New York’s pitching staff shut the door from there.
David Bednar was handed the ball for the ninth inning, and the Yankees’ closer finished the job, officially sending New York into the ALDS.
The sweep gives the Yankees an early postseason boost and sets up another matchup against a division opponent.
New York will now face the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Division Series.
Tampa Bay enters the series after an impressive regular season, finishing with a 98-64 record. The Rays are led by young star Junior Caminero, who put together a powerful offensive season, batting .276 with a .360 on-base percentage and a .524 slugging percentage. Caminero also finished with 42 home runs, 25 doubles, 101 RBIs, 100 runs scored and an .885 OPS.
He represents another major challenge for a Yankees pitching staff that just held Boston to two runs in the second game of the series.
New York, however, enters the ALDS with plenty of confidence after producing 18 runs in its first two postseason games.
The Yankees could receive another significant boost if star outfielder Aaron Judge is able to return from injury during the series. His potential return would add another dangerous presence to an already productive lineup.
For now, the Yankees have accomplished the first part of their October mission.
They swept Boston, dominated both games offensively, received strong pitching and earned their place in the ALDS.
Now the challenge gets tougher.
The Rays are next, and New York will have to carry the same combination of timely hitting and dominant pitching into the next round if it hopes to continue its postseason run.
