Wilson Contreras Red Sox Yankees Credit: SNY Yankees
By Matt Yoder on

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Baseball’s biggest rivalry was renewed in the AL Wild Card round, but it didn’t last long as the New York Yankees swept the Boston Red Sox 2-0 to advance to the ALDS.

The two games weren’t close, with the Bronx Bombers winning Game 1, 9-0, and Game 2, 9-2.

Things really broke open in the decider after the Red Sox made the controversial decision to pull starter Sonny Gray in the middle of the fifth inning, down 1-0 with two runners on base. After the bullpen let one of those runners score, the Yankees scored six runs in the sixth inning to run away with the victory.

After the game, manager Chad Tracy’s decision drew widespread discontent in the Red Sox locker room. The scene was even described as a “mutiny” by some reporters, and after seeing the comments from Gray and first baseman Wilson Contreras, it’s clear that is not an understatement.

Gray was emotional in the locker room, saying he wished he’d been trusted to go deeper into the game, citing his success facing batters a third time through the lineup. He even commented on his future, saying he wouldn’t commit to returning to the Red Sox.

“I think I’m the best pitcher in the American League going through the order the third time. I think that’s a fact. I would have liked to live or die with me in that moment, but that’s the competitor I am. I think you can probably ask the guys, and they felt the same way,” Gray said.

Not to be outdone, Contreras made a bigger statement by saying nothing.

When asked about the situation, the slugger zipped his lips twice to avoid saying something he might regret. But when he did open up, he condemned the decision and called out management for depending too much on data and not enough on the players themselves to win games.

“It’s not enough when you have talent, or you have data, or you have computers telling you what to do, because this is baseball. And the data is here to help us, but at the end of the day, you’re going to need experience and veteran guys to win games. There’s a lot of stuff that I would like to say, but I’ll state it like that,” Contreras said.

It looks like it’s going to be a long offseason in Boston for the Red Sox and their fans. At least Drake Maye hasn’t completely fallen apart, and the Patriots are completely drama-free, though. Oh, about that…

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