Yankees force do-or-die Game 3, Red Sox fall in the Bronx 4-3

NEW YORK — The Bronx was buzzing Wednesday night as the Yankees evened the American League Wild Card series with a 4-3 win over the Red Sox in front of a packed Yankee Stadium.

On Thursday night, Boston and New York will engage in a pivotal Game 3 that will determine the outcome. It will be either at 6:08 p.m. or at 8:08 p.m. if the Dodgers win Wednesday night.

Red Sox starter Brayan Bello was tasked with making his first postseason start but cracked under the pressure, tossing just 2 1/3 innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits while walking one. He did not record a strikeout.

“I felt good with all my pitches,” he said. “I was just trying to stay aggressive. That was the game plan.”

The game plan backfired, and Bello got into trouble early, allowing a two-run home run to Ben Rice in the first inning that put the Yankees ahead, 2-0. He threw just 28 pitches before Alex Cora went to his bullpen.

“Felt like at that point, kind of like, we have to do this,” Cora said about pulling Bello. “It doesn’t feel good, because you want the kid to go out there and get his experience and pitch deep into the game. I felt that moment we needed to.

“It was a tough lineup. A lot of lefties. The bats were getting better with the lefties, and we had a bunch of them in the bullpen.”

Bello said he was “a little bit surprised” by Cora’s decision to pull him from the game.

“Very important game,” Bello said through interpreter Carlos Villoria Benitez. “Two lefties coming up. He made that decision.

“I don’t feel disappointed about myself. I tried to do my job, and he made the decision to take me out.”

Once Bello was removed from the game, Cora went with six relievers, who held the Yankees offense to just one run — an Aaron Judge single in the fifth inning — before the Yankees took the lead for good in the eighth.

Garrett Whitlock came into the game in the seventh, and he was excellent, hurling a shutdown inning. The eighth inning presented a radically different scenario. Whitlock struggled but had a chance to escape the inning, but Austin Wells connected on a two-out RBI double.

Whitlock threw 47 pitches, the most he’s thrown in a game since June. He came out with the bases loaded, and rookie Payton Tolle got the Sox out of the jam.

Whitlock was asked if he’d be available to pitch in Game 3 and said he “isn’t going to take the ball out of his own hand.”

Boston exhausted its bullpen, leaving just Greg Weissert, Kyle Harrison, and Aroldis Chapman unused, and they should all pitch if needed in Game 3.

“It’s October baseball,” Cora said. “It is different.”

Yankees starter Carlos Rodón opened the game by retiring the first six batters he faced before Boston answered in the third. The Sox had their first three men reach safely to open the inning; one of those batters was Nick Sogard, who dropped a successful bunt and reached on a bad throw from Rodón. Shortstop Trevor Story responded with a two-run single to tie the game 2-2.

New York retook the lead in the fifth after Judge hit a sinking liner into left field, which Jarren Duran dropped while making a diving attempt, allowing a Yankees runner to score. Judge’s single put New York up 3-2.

"I was just playing pretty deep on Judge,” Duran said to the media at his locker postgame. "As I was coming in, I thought it was hit a little harder than it was. And then I kind of gained more ground than I thought. I didn't really have to go into a full dive there. Kind of just pushed the ball on myself a little bit more. It got really up on me. It's on me."

Duran mentioned several times that his misplay in the field will remain with him, but he has confidence in his team ahead of Game 3.

“I have complete confidence in this team,” Duran said. “We’ve been through stuff like this before, and we’ve been resilient all year. I’m excited to see what we can do tomorrow.”

Story quickly responded and hit a solo shot that went 381 feet into the left field seats that tied the game at 3-3. Story had another chance in the seventh inning after the Sox loaded the bases.

Nate Eaton led the frame off with a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch from Rodón. Duran was hit in the shoulder in the next at-bat; Rodón was removed from the game and replaced by right-handed reliever Fernando Cruz.

Ceddanne Rafaela attempted to lay down two bunts to move the runners over, but failed, as he bunted a pop-out to Cruz, and Nick Sogard followed up by hitting a pop-up to left field. Cora went to his bench for Game 1 hero, Masataka Yoshida, who hit a sharp liner to Yankees’ second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., who made a diving play but was unable to retire Yoshida, who dove headfirst into first base. Following a four-pitch at-bat, Story popped out to center field, and a fired-up Cruz celebrated by screaming and banging on his chest as he headed to the dugout.

Boston will put the weight of their season on the shoulders of 23-year-old Connelly Early. The rookie left-hander will officially start Game 3 and become the fifth pitcher in MLB history to make a postseason start within his first five big league appearances. The others were the Braves’ Dylan Lee as an opener in 2021, the Rays’ Shane Baz in the 2021 ALDS, Cleveland’s Ryan Merritt in the 2016 ALCS, and Rays’ southpaw Matt Moore in the 2011 ALDS.

“Yeah, I’m super excited about it,” Early said about starting Game 3 following the Sox’ loss. “I have a really good feeling and am just ready to get out there.”

When asked if he thought during spring training he’d be asked to take the ball in such a crucial game for the Red Sox, the confident left-hander answered, “Um, nope, but I’m in that position now. I got to go out there and trust myself.”

His reaction when he found out he was starting from pitching coach Andrew Bailey: “Let’s go. Let’s do it.”

This will be a significant opportunity for Early, who is in the rotation because Lucas Giolito is suffering from an elbow injury and Dustin May is also on the injured list.

Early will match up against Yankees’ rookie starter Cam Schlitter, who has made 14 MLB appearances. It will be the first game in postseason history between two starters who are each making their 15th career appearance or fewer (regular season and postseason combined), according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

"These boys throw out very calm," Cora said. “Obviously, it is going to be loud here. Two rookies, Game 3, Wild Card, Yankees-Red Sox. Imagine that. Should be a fun night."