Oct 1, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Brayan Bello (66) pitches against the New York Yankees during the first inning of game two of the Wildcard round of the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Red Sox Explain Controversial Brayan Bello Decision

Originally posted on Boston Red Sox on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Oct 2, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The Boston Red Sox made a somewhat surprising decision on Wednesday.

Boston took on the New York Yankees in Game 2 of the Wild Card round and ended up losing. It was a good game overall and both teams had chances late, but New York was the one that was able to put itself over the top. The biggest surprise of the game came early on, though. The Red Sox relied heavily on the bullpen on Wednesday night because starting pitcher Brayan Bello was yanked after just 28 pitches and 2 1/3 innings pitched.

After the game, Red Sox manager Alex Cora explained the decision, as shown in a clip shared to social media by Tom Carroll of WEEI.

"It’s a tough lineup," Cora said. "Bunch of lefties. I thought the at-bats were getting better with the lefties, and we've got a bunch of them in the bullpen, you know? And I felt like at that point, kinda like, we have to do this. It doesn’t feel good, because you want the kid to go out there and get his experience and pitch deep into the game, but I felt like at that moment, we needed to pivot."

The Boston Red Sox were aggressive on Wednesday

After the game, Bello also commented on the decision, as transcribed by MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo and Christopher Smith.

"Bello conceded he was 'a little bit' surprised by Cora’s decision and that the two men didn’t discuss it as Bello handed Cora the ball," Cotillo and Smith said.

“Very important game,” Bello said through interpreter Carlos Villoria Benítez as transcribed by Cotillo and Smith. “Two lefties coming up. He made that decision. I don’t feel disappointed about myself. I tried to do my job and he made the decision to take me out."

The decision was surprising, but the logic wasn't wrong. The Yankees came up with some lefties and overall, the bullpen did a good job on Wednesday giving Boston a chance. But, things didn't work out and now the Red Sox need to win or go home on Thursday.

This article first appeared on Boston Red Sox on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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