Red Sox clinch Wild Card rematch with Yankees as Roman Anthony heats up in win over Cubs

Start spreading the news. The Red Sox are officially headed back to the Bronx.

Boston locked up the American League’s second Wild Card spot Friday afternoon, setting up a rematch with the Yankees in the best-of-three Wild Card Series beginning Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.

A year after the Yankees ended Boston’s season in three games in the same round, the Red Sox will get another shot at their longtime rival.

They punched their ticket behind a player who suddenly looks ready for October.

Roman Anthony doubled twice, tripled, walked and scored twice as the Red Sox rallied from an early three-run deficit to beat the Cubs, 4-3, in Game 1 of Friday’s split doubleheader at Fenway Park.

The victory improved Boston to 86-74 and locked the Red Sox into the No. 5 seed with two regular-season games remaining.

For an offense that has spent much of September searching for a spark, Anthony’s emergence is particularly encouraging.

Anthony reached in all four of his plate appearances and sprayed the ball across the field, doubling to left and center before tripling to right. It marked his eighth career game reaching base at least four times and his second with at least three runs scored.

Since returning from the 60-day injured list on Aug. 30, Anthony is batting .265 with an .811 OPS, six doubles, two triples, four homers and 10 RBI in 23 games.

His first double went to waste in the opening inning, but Anthony eventually scored Boston’s first run in the third when Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson committed a throwing error.

By then, the Red Sox were already in a 3-0 hole, after Alec Gamboa, serving as Boston’s opener, allowed a two-out RBI double to Tyrone Taylor in the first before Michael Busch and Swanson scored on Miguel Amaya’s double in the second.

Gamboa had allowed only four earned runs over his first 20 major league appearances. He surrendered three in two innings Friday in what will likely be his final appearance of the season.

Jake Bennett took over in the third and immediately settled things down.

Making his first major league appearance out of the bullpen after starting his first 19 games, Bennett delivered 3 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out one.

Bennett isn’t expected to start during the Wild Card Series, but Friday provided a glimpse at how Boston could deploy him in October. He could offer multiple innings out of the bullpen against New York and remains a potential starting option should the Red Sox advance to the AL Division Series.

While Bennett kept the Cubs quiet, Boston finally erased the deficit in the fifth inning. 

Isiah Kiner-Falefa opened the frame with a single and Anthony followed with his second double of the afternoon. Cubs starter Clay Holmes was removed after striking out Mickey Gasper, and Adley Rutschman greeted left-hander Caleb Thielbar with a two-run single to tie the game at 3.

Holmes allowed three runs, two earned, on five hits and three walks while striking out three over 4 1/3 innings.

Anthony started the decisive rally two innings later when he ripped a triple to right in the seventh before Connor Wong drove him home with a double down the third-base line, giving Boston its first lead of the afternoon at 4-3.

Wong wasn’t originally supposed to be in the game but was needed after Gasper was removed after striking out in the fifth because of right biceps discomfort. He could be seen flexing his right arm during the at-bat before Wong replaced him behind the plate in the sixth.

Chad Tracy told reporters after the game that Gasper will undergo an MRI on his arm. 

“I think he’s going over to get an MRI right now,” Tracy said after the victory. “He’s in some pretty good discomfort. So I don’t know exactly what it is but he struck out on that last swing and had some discomfort in his biceps.”

Losing Gasper with just two games left on the schedule is less than ideal for a tea already without Willson Contreras, who has been unable to swing comfortably because of the bone bruise and inflammation in his right hand.