Red Sox swept by Yankees as Gray blasts early hook — SkimNews
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- Red Sox lost 9-2 to the Yankees on Wednesday at Yankee Stadium to finish a 2-0 AL Wild Card Series sweep, one day after a 9-0 Game 1 loss, ending their season in the same round and venue as last year.
- Sonny Gray was pulled by manager Chad Tracy after just 70 pitches despite allowing only one run, after which the Yankees plated eight runs against Boston's bullpen, with Cody Bellinger singling immediately after the hook to extend the lead.
- Gray told reporters he believes he is 'the best pitcher in the American League the third time through the order,' and the source notes his 1.99 ERA across 45⅓ innings in that split supports the claim; the 36-year-old, who has contemplated retirement, was non-committal on returning to Boston.
- The Red Sox offense cratered down the stretch with a .236 average and .382 slugging percentage over their final 47 games — nearly identical to their pre-surge .244/.385 first 78 games — raising the question of whether their 37-game summer tear (.258/.445) was 'fool's gold.'
- Roman Anthony re-aggravated the same right hand that sidelined him for 101 games earlier in the season, went for an MRI in Boston, and acknowledged the hand 'was never really fully 100%,' with surgery still a possibility.
- The front office fired manager Alex Cora in April and promoted Chad Tracy to full-time skipper, but the source reports some players remain convinced the coaching change had little to do with the team's summer turnaround.
- Prospect Marcelo Mayer, once pegged as Trevor Story's heir at shortstop, was traded to San Francisco, while Kristian Campbell spent the entire season in Triple-A with subpar numbers, leaving the Red Sox's hyped 'Big Three' prospect wave largely unrealized.
Why it matters: The Red Sox enter an offseason of uncertainty after a second straight Wild Card exit at Yankee Stadium: Sonny Gray, 36, is contemplating retirement, Roman Anthony may need right-hand surgery, Marcelo Mayer is gone to San Francisco, and Fenway Park has now gone five years without hosting postseason baseball — the longest October drought at the ballpark since 1976-85.
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