BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 05: Gerrit Cole #45 of the New York Yankees pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning of the American League Wild Card game at Fenway Park on October 05, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The New York Yankees fell short against the Boston Red Sox. Who choked the most in the AL Wild Card Game?
Things did not go well for the New York Yankees in the 2021 American League Wild Card Game. This is a contest that, though it was on the road, should have been winnable for New York. Instead, the Boston Red Sox looked incredibly formidable and handled the Yankees with ease.
In fact, the Red Sox seemed to be a considerably better ball club than the Yankees as Boston beat New York 6-2, but it shouldn’t have been that way and this matchup should’ve (at least in theory) been closer.
But it wasn’t closer and that’s because some key leaders for the Yankees made some costly errors while some usually consistent contributors fell flat.
Here are the Yankees who choked the most in the 2021 AL Wild Card Game.
No. 3: Really, the majority of New York’s lineup fell short at the plate against the Red Sox
Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Rizzo, and Aaron Judge looked solid at the plate. They don’t deserve any blame here. They were good. The rest of the New York Yankees, on the other hand, struggled mightily at the plate. That’s a problem that’ll prevent winning.
Stanton went 3-for-4 at the plate with a late home run and a couple singles. Rizzo hit a solo shot in the top of the sixth inning while Judge got a hit of his own but ended up getting tagged out at the plate for an issue we’ll discuss in a minute.
Outside of that, there was no real power from anyone on the Yankees roster. In total, 11 New York batters struck out against the Red Sox, which is far from ideal. The Yankees couldn’t generate anything that resembled consistency at the plate and they definitely suffered because of that.