« Scrappy, man. We have different ways to win as an offense. »
« Scrappy, man. We have different ways to win as an offense. »
The Red Sox’s efforts to bolster their roster this past offseason paid dividends on Tuesday night.
Boston’s 3-1 victory over the Yankees in Game 1 of the Wild Card was headlined by the dominant outing from Garrett Crochet — acquired from the White Sox in a blockbuster deal last December.
Alex Bregman — who Boston reeled in during the early days of spring training with a three-year, $120 million contract — delivered some much-needed insurance in the top of the ninth with a two-out, RBI double.
And free-agent pickup Aroldis Chapman — despite testing the cardiac fortitude of Red Sox fans — secured a save on Tuesday by navigating out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth inning.
But in a season where several unheralded contributors have also pulled on the rope for Alex Cora’s club, it was fitting that Boston’s seventh-inning rally was orchestrated by the likes of Nick Sogard and Mastaka Yoshida — a duo that few expected would the catalyst for winning plays in the postseason.
“Scrappy, man,” Trevor Story said of Boston’s approach on Tuesday. “We have different ways to win as an offense. I think sometimes we can slug, sometimes we play small ball. Sometimes, walks are big for us, and stealing bases and just doing little things like that.
