Yankees Decimate Red Sox 18-2 in 2 Games Behind Huge Performance By Ben Rice

The Yankees had about as good two games against the Boston Red Sox as they could have had. They got great starting pitching from Cam Schlittler and Max Fried, and Ben Rice was 5 for 9 in the series with two home runs, including a grand slam, and 6 runs batted in. He had a great season, but thrived in these two games and made the injury to Aaron Judge tolerable.

The Yankees, with their combination of balanced and great hitting and fantastic pitching, look a lot like a World Series team. In the meantime, Rice is becoming a star right before our eyes. That both he and Schlittler did so well in this series is outstanding. They are both homegrown talents, and they are both from Massachusetts. Did you know those things?

Yankees Decimate Red Sox and Eliminate Them

At this point, we all know that the Yankees eliminated the Red Sox from the playoffs on Wednesday night. They won the first game of the three-game series 9-0 and won the second game 9-2. Both games were at a raucous Yankee Stadium.

Ben Rice Unbelievable!

One of the things that defined these two games was the performance of Ben Rice, who was great. He was so effective that his performance made the absence of slugger Aaron Judge more tolerable for the Yankees. Rice was 4 for 5 in the first game, with two home runs, including a grand slam, and six runs batted in. In the second game, he was only 1 for 4, but he did score a run, and he was intentionally walked. This was an important sign of respect. Treatment usually reserved for Judge.

The biggest story before this game was whether Aaron Judge would be on the Yankees roster. The Bombers got some players back, like Trent Grisham and Giancarlo Stanton; however, Judge, who took batting practice the day before the series started, was left off the roster. This was to the dismay of Yankees fans, though the performance of Rice made the absence of Judge more tolerable.

If a Team Cannot Score

The Yankees are only the sixth team ever to have 220 home runs and 150 stolen bases. They were the only such team this year. The team is 60-6 when it scores 5 or more runs. Those are daunting statistics, especially when a team, like the Boston Red Sox, cannot score runs. Two combined runs for the Red Sox are just not acceptable. The Yankees do have great pitching, and in this series that pitching baffled the rivals from Boston.

Pitching and defense are important in baseball because a team cannot win if it cannot score. So, if you want to ensure victory over your opponent, do not allow them to score. Though the Yankees scored nine runs in both games against the Red Sox, they only allowed two runs in this series.

A team cannot win if it does not score; the Red Sox were shut out in the first game of this series. They only scored two runs in the second game. The impotent bats for the Red Sox were the defining characteristic of these two games and meant they could not win either. Their season ended, for the second season in a row, on the field at Yankee Stadium.

Conclusion: The Way Ahead for the Yankees

The Bombers now face the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Division Series. The Rays, winners of the division and the series against the Yankees, have the home field advantage. This makes for a tough series for the Pinstripes because the Rays are very good at home, and Tropicana Field is a house of horrors for the Yankees. The first three games in Tampa have been set. They will be at 6:30 Saturday and 8 pm on both Monday and Tuesday.