Sep 30, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (27) reacts after striking out with the bases loaded during the ninth inning of game one of the Wildcard round of the 2025 MLB playoffs against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Yankees Facing All-Or-Nothing Game 2

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Erin Shapland | Last updated Oct 1, 2025 8:00 AM ET

In their first Wild Card game against the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees suffered an embarrassing loss. At the bottom of the ninth inning, with bases loaded and no outs, Red Sox relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman managed to get out without incident, leaving the 3-1 score and landing the Yankees in an unfortunate pickle.

The Yankees will need to win both of their next two games with the Red Sox in order to advance — if they lose this second game, they're toast. That isn't getting the leadership down, however, and Yankees captain Aaron Judge seems to think they'll beat the odds over their next (hopefully) two games.

"We’ve been doing it all year,” Judge said h/t Greg Joyce of the New York Post. “Lot of veterans in this clubhouse that have been through some stuff. Lot of this team going to the postseason last year, been to the World Series, been in some tough moments. Go out there and play our game and we’ll be good.”

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Max Fried, whose strong six-inning start wasn't enough to save the Yankees from themselves, feels confident also, citing past performance this season after losing the first in a series.

"We’ve won a lot of series [where] we’ve dropped the first one and been able to win the next two,” Fried said, per Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News. “So it’s nothing new. We’ve got a lot of guys that believe in each other in here.”

Jazz Chisholm and Ben Rice were conspicuously missing from the starting lineup, but Chisholm was available and batted late in the game. In a postgame interview, Chisholm faced away from cameras, answering questions sparsely and apparently searching for a shirt.

"I guess, yeah," Chisholm said, when asked whether he was surprised to be excluded from the starting lineup in Game 1. When asked whether it was a conversation with manager Aaron Boone, Chisholm said, "It's a little conversation, not much, but you know, yeah. Just move forward after it."

Jazz Chisholm Jr. was asked if he was surprised about not being in the starting lineup for Game 1

"I guess, yeah" pic.twitter.com/Nw5ooUX9qf
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