The Yankees, Padres, and White Sox all secured victories in Wild Card Game 2 on Wednesday, advancing to the American League Division Series, while the Phillies forced a decisive Game 3 against the Braves.
The Yankees completed a dominant two-game sweep of the Red Sox, outscoring them 18-2 across the series. Their offense combined power hitting and situational plays, while their pitching stifled Boston’s lineup. Manager Aaron Boone’s tactical adjustments played a notable part: after loading his lineup with right-handers in Game 1, he switched to lefties against Red Sox starter Sonny Gray in Game 2, maximizing the team’s advantage.
New York’s starting pitchers logged 12⅓ innings, striking out 16 and allowing just one run. The bullpen remained effective throughout, even with comfortable leads late in both games. The Yankees maintained a lead for 14 of the 18 innings played. Boston struggled offensively, managing only seven hits and two runs in total. Their lone meaningful hit was a Willson Contreras home run in the sixth inning of Game 2, which cut the Yankees’ lead to 2-1.
The Red Sox tried to bring in ace Garrett Crochet in relief during the sixth inning of Game 2 while trailing 2-1. However, Crochet, who had not pitched in a game since late April and had no minor-league rehab outings, allowed four earned runs without recording an out. This collapse effectively ended the series. Despite a few key players returning from injury, Boston's offense was unable to generate momentum, finishing September with a .219 batting average and 2.96 runs per game.
The Padres also advanced with a 2-0 series win over the Cubs. After a strong offensive and pitching performance in Game 1, San Diego relied on starter Nick Pivetta for Game 2, who gave them 3⅓ innings while allowing just one run. The Padres’ bullpen then shut down the Cubs, throwing 5⅔ scoreless innings with only one hit and one walk allowed. This shutout of the Cubs’ offense, which led the majors in runs and OPS during the regular season, underscored why the Padres’ pitching staff is considered one of the best in baseball.
Padres manager Craig Stammen was able to deploy his four top bullpen arms effectively thanks to the early lead. San Diego’s offense has been strong recently, winning 17 of their last 20 regular-season games, and their two playoff wins show they can still rely on pitching even if the bats cool.
The Cubs’ offense fell short despite having stars like Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman. Crow-Armstrong, expected to win National League MVP, hit .290/.388/.624 with 42 home runs and 35 steals over the last 129 games. Bregman impressed in the second half with a .303/.384/.626 line and 19 homers in 61 games. Yet both struggled in the series, combining for 0-for-15 with 12 strikeouts across the two games, including an 0-for-8 in Game 2.
The White Sox swept the Astros, ending Houston’s season and moving on to the ALDS. Details of their Game 2 performance were not fully disclosed, but the sweep confirms Chicago’s progress.
The Phillies avoided elimination by winning Game 2 against the Braves, forcing a Game 3 on Thursday. The winner of that game will move on to the National League Division Series. Specifics of the Phillies’ comeback and the Braves’ performance were not reported in detail.
Wednesday’s playoff action confirmed three teams advancing while one series remains undecided heading into its final game.
According to CBS.
