The New York Yankees are heading to the American League Division Series. Cody Bellinger hit a three-run homer during a six-run sixth inning and finished with four RBIs as the Yankees routed the Boston Red Sox 9-2 on Wednesday night, completing a two-game sweep of their AL wild-card series.
It is the second straight year New York has knocked Boston out in the wild-card round, and this one was far more convincing. The Yankees piled up 18 runs and 26 hits across the two games — all without Aaron Judge, who remains sidelined with a strained right calf.
Bellinger gave the Yankees a 2-0 lead with an RBI single in the fifth, then broke the game open an inning later when he launched a 1-0 changeup into the right-center field seats after Boston intentionally walked Ben Rice ahead of him. Luis Garcia Jr. also homered for New York, while Max Fried allowed just one run on three hits over six innings with six strikeouts.
The reward is a best-of-five ALDS against the top-seeded Tampa Bay Rays, beginning Saturday in St. Petersburg.
