NEW YORK YANKEES (92-70) at BOSTON RED SOX (92-70)
RHP Gerrit Cole (16-8, 3.23 in 2021) vs. RHP Nathan Eovaldi (11-9, 3.75 in 2021)
NEW YORK YANKEES:
OCTOBER BASEBALL: The Yankees will face the Boston Red Sox in the winner-take-all AL Wild Card Game tonight.
Marks the Yankees’ fifth straight appearance in the playoffs (since 2017).
Will be the Yankees’ fifth appearance in the Wild Card round, playing in three Wild Card Games (2015 loss vs. Houston; 2017 win vs. Minnesota; 2018 win vs. Oakland) and a best-of-three Wild Card Series in 2020 (defeated Cleveland in two games on the road).
The Yankees are 10-2 in their last 12 postseason openers (since 2005), losing only the 2015 AL Wild Card Game vs. Houston and 2007 ALDS Game 1 at Cleveland.
Are 5-1 in their first game of a playoff series since 2018 (lost 2018 ALDS Game 1 at Boston)…are 15-7 in their last 22 such games (since 2004 ALCS Game 1).
Will play their 30th “winner-take-all” game in club history tonight…are 15-14 in those games…have won three of their five “winner-take-all” games since 2017 and have won four of their last seven since 2012.
PLAYOFF RETURN: The Yankees clinched the 57th playoff appearance in franchise history (119 seasons, 47.9%)… qualified for the postseason for the 23rd time in 27 seasons since 1995 (missing only in 2008, ’13-14, ’16).
SEEING RED: The AL Wild Card marks only the fifth time that the Yankees will face the Red Sox in a postseason series: 1999 ALCS (won 4-1), 2003 ALCS (won 4-3), 2004 ALCS (lost 4-3) and the 2018 ALDS (lost 3-1)…the Yankees are 12-11 in 23 postseason games vs. the Red Sox (6-6 at home, 6-5 in Boston).
The Yankees won their final six regular season games vs. Boston and seven of their final eight…went 9-3 in their final 12G against the Red Sox after starting the season 0-7.
In their most recent trip to Boston, the Yankees recorded their first three-game sweep at Fenway since 5/1-3/15… have won four of their last five games at Fenway.
THE SKIPPER, TOO: Manager Aaron Boone is the second manager in Baseball history to reach the postseason in each of his first four managerial seasons, joining Mike Matheny (2012-15 w/ St. Louis, four straight)…is the third manager to make the playoffs in his first four seasons with the Yankees, joining Casey Stengel (first five from 1949-53) and Joe Torre (first 12 from 1996-2007).
COLE TRAIN: RHP Gerrit Cole will start for the Yankees in the Wild Card Game tonight…is 8-4 with a 2.68 ERA (84.0IP, 25ER) and 108K in 13 career postseason starts…has allowed 2R-or-fewer in nine of his 13 career postseason starts and 1R-or-fewer in seven of those starts…has tossed at least 7.0 innings in seven of his 13 starts.
Will be making his fifth career “winner-take-all” start… will match Roger Clemens (five) for the most in Major League history (no other pitcher has more than three)… is 1-2 with 3.09 ERA (23.1IP, 8ER) in those four starts.
His .178 (54-for-303) opponents’ BA ranks third in postseason history (min. 6GS).
His 11.57 K/9.0IP ratio is the third-highest in postseason history (min. 50.0IP), behind Kenley Jansen (12.46) and Walker Buehler (12.18).
Is one of four pitchers in Major League history to win eight of his first 13 postseason appearances, joining Orlando Hernandez (nine), Orel Hershiser (eight) and Chris Carpenter (eight).
Is 5-2 with a 2.55 ERA (49.1IP, 14ER) in eight career postseason starts on the road…is undefeated in his last five postseason road starts (since 2019 ALCS Game 3), going 4-0 with a 1.95 ERA (32.1IP, 7ER) in that span.
Went 16-8 with two complete games and a 3.23 ERA (181.1IP, 151H, 69R/65ER, 41BB, 243K, 24HR) in 30 starts this season…ranked third in the Majors in strikeouts (243, second in AL), K/9.0IP (12.06, second in AL) and K/BB (5.93, first in AL), tied for third in wins (16, first in AL) and sixth in WAR among pitchers (5.3 – FanGraphs, second in AL)… ranked second in the AL in WHIP (1.06) third in ERA (3.23) and fifth in BB/9.0IP (2.03).
BRONX BOMBERS: The Yankees hit 93HR in their final 59 games of the season (since 8/1), the second-most in the Majors in that span, trailing only the Toronto Blue Jays (105HR).
Led the Majors this season with 621 walks. AROUND THE WORLD: The Yankees’ Wild Card Game roster features players born in six different countries: United States (15), Dominican Republic (5), Venezuela (2), Cuba (2), Colombia (1) and Nicaragua (1).
STANTON ISLAND: In 26 combined regular season and postseason games at Fenway Park, DH/OF Giancarlo Stanton has hit .370/.429/.640 (37-for-100) with 17R, 7 doubles, 1 triple, 6HR, 22RBI, 9BB, 2HP, 2SB and 1SF.
Has hit safely in each of his last 10 games vs. the Red Sox, batting .412/.500/.824 (14-for-34) with 6R, 2 doubles, 4HR, 13RBI and 6BB in that span (since 7/22/21).
Has 4HR in his last five games vs. Boston.
Drove in 10 of the Yankees’ 19R during their threegame set at Boston from 9/24-26…was just the second Yankee in franchise history to record at least 10RBI in a three-game series vs. Boston, joining Mickey Mantle, who recorded 10RBI vs. Boston from 5/21-23/54…
Stanton was the only Yankee to do so at Fenway Park… also hit 3HR in that series…was the first Yankee to hit at least 3HR in a three-game series at Fenway since Mark Teixeira hit 3HR in three games at Boston in May of 2010.
Has 8HR through his first 17 career postseason games… is one of five Major League players to accomplish the feat, joining Carlos Beltrán (9HR), Juan Gonzalez (8HR), Bernie Williams (8HR) and Troy Glaus (8HR).
SECOND HALF SURGE: The Yankees posted a 50-29 (.633) record in their final 79 games of the season (7/6-10/3)…was the fourth-best record in the Majors in that span, trailing only the San Francisco Giants (54-24, .692), Los Angeles Dodgers (53-24, .688) and Tampa Bay Rays (51-26, .662).
PITCH PERFECT: Yankees pitchers posted a 3.74 ERA (1,435.1IP, 596ER) this season, the sixth-lowest ERA in the Majors and the third-lowest in the AL.
Since the trade deadline on 7/30, Yankees relievers posted a 2.97 ERA (242.1IP, 80ER), the best bullpen ERA in the AL and third-best in the Majors over that span.
Yankees starters posted a 3.91 ERA (829.1IP, 360ER) this season…was their lowest ERA since 2014 (3.77) and their third-lowest in the last 38 seasons (also had 3.85 ERA in 1998)…posted a 3.67 ERA (405.0IP, 165ER) in their final 80 starts of the season.
CLOSE CALLS: The Yankees played 89 games this season determined by 2R-or-fewer, the third-most such games in the Majors, trailing only the Mets (92) and Atlanta (90)… marked just the first time in the last 45 seasons the Yankees have had at least 89 games decided by 2R-orfewer, their most since 1976 (91G)…their 55-34 (.618) record in those games was the second-best in the Majors this season, trailing only San Francisco (51-30, .630)… marked the Yankees best record in those games since 2013 (50-30, .625)…their 55 wins decided by 2R-or-fewer are their second-most in a season in franchise history, trailing only their 56 wins in 1961.
ALL RISE: OF Aaron Judge has 11HR in 34 career postseason games, tied with Jorge Posada for seventh place on the Yankees’ all-time list…has 3HR in “winner-take-all” postseason games (2017 Wild Card Game vs. Minnesota, 2018 Wild Card Game vs. Oakland and 2020 ALDS Game 5 at Tampa Bay at Petco Park), tied the most in Major League history (also Didi Gregorius, Bill Skowron, Yogi Berra and Troy O’Leary).
ROAD WARRIORS: The Yankees went 46-35 (.568) on the road this season, the second-best record in the AL and tied for the fifth-best in the Majors…went 20-10 (.667) in their final 30 road games of the season.
OCTOBER TESTED: Nine of the 26 players on the Yankees’ Wild Card Game roster have yet to appear in a postseason game: C Rob Brantly, LHP Nestor Cortes, OF Joey Gallo, RHP Domingo Germán, RHP Clay Holmes, LHP Lucas Luetge, LHP Wandy Peralta, LHP Joely Rodríguez and INF Andrew Velazquez…Greg Allen, Rougned Odor and Anthony Rizzo are looking to make their Yankees postseason debuts. 11 of the 26 appeared for the Yankees during the 2020 postseason (Chapman, Cole, Gardner Green, Higashioka, Judge, King, Loaisiga, Sánchez; Torres, Urshela; Stanton, Wade).
WINNING WAYS: The Yankees clinched their 29th consecutive winning season (since 1993)…marks the second-longest such stretch in Major League history behind only the franchise’s streak of 39 straight winning seasons from 1926-64…is tied with the Boston Bruins’ 29-season winning streak from 1968-96 for the third-longest streak of consecutive winning seasons all-time in the four major sports (MLB/NFL/NBA/NHL), behind only their own 39-season stretch and 32 straight winning seasons by the Montreal Canadiens (1952-83).
TONIGHT’S AL WILD CARD STARTING PITCHER: RHP GERRIT COLE (16-8, 3.23 ERA IN 2021)
RHP Gerrit Cole will make his 14th career postseason start and fourth with the Yankees in the winner-take-all AL Wild Card Game tonight at Fenway Park…the 31-year-old will start on extended five days’ rest…last started on Wednesday at Toronto and did not record a decision (6.0IP, 9H, 5ER, 0BB, 6K, 2HR)…went 16-8 with two complete games and a 3.23 ERA (181.1IP, 151H, 69R/65ER, 41BB, 243K, 24HR) in 30 starts during the regular season… his 243K during the regular season were the second-most by a Yankee in a single season in club history, trailing only Ron Guidry (248K in 35GS in 1978)…is 8-4 with a 2.68 ERA (84.0IP, 25ER) in 13 career postseason starts…is 2-0 with a 2.95 ERA (18.1IP, 6ER) with 30K in three postseason starts with the Yankees…in 42 regular season starts with the Yankees, is 23-11 with a 3.11 ERA (254.1IP, 88ER) and 337K…his 11.57 K/9.0IP ratio is the third-highest in postseason history (min. 50.0IP), behind Kenley Jansen (12.46) and Walker Buehler (12.18)…his .178 (54-for-303) opponents’ BA ranks third in postseason history (min. 6GS)…was named to his fourth career All-Star team in 2021 (also 2018-19 with Houston, 2015 with Pittsburgh)…has finished in the top-five of Cy Young Award voting four times (fourth in 2020, second in 2019, fifth in 2018, fourth in 2015)…was originally selected by the Yankees in the first round (28th overall) of the 2008 MLB First-Year Player Draft but did not sign and went on to play at UCLA for three seasons (2009-11)… was the first overall pick of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft, the 15th pitcher (and 11th right-hander) to be chosen first…is the fifth player selected first overall to play for the Yankees, joining Alex Rodriguez, Darryl Strawberry, Tim Foli and Ron Blomberg…signed a nine-year contract extending through the 2028 season with a player opt-out following the 2024 season on 12/18/19. 2021: In his second year with the Yankees, went 16-8 with two complete games and a 3.23 ERA (181.1IP, 151H, 69R/65ER, 41BB, 243K, 24HR) in 30 starts…opponents hit .223 (151-for-677, 24HR); LH .216 (63-for-292, 13HR); RH .229 (88-for-385, 11HR)…ranked third in the Majors in strikeouts (243, second in AL), K/9.0IP (12.06, second in AL) and K/BB (5.93, first in AL), tied for third in wins (16, first in AL) and sixth in WAR among pitchers (5.3 – FanGraphs, second in AL)…ranked second in the AL in WHIP (1.06), third in ERA (3.23) and fifth in BB/9.0IP (2.03).
Was named via the player ballot to his fourth career All-Star team (also 2018-19 with Houston, 2015 with Pittsburgh).
His 243K were the second-most by a Yankee in a single season in club history, trailing only Ron Guidry’s 248K in 35GS in 1978.
His nine double-digit strikeout games were tied for the most by a Yankee in a single season in franchise history, joining David Cone (nine in 1998)…were the second-most in the Majors this season, trailing only Toronto’s Robbie Ray (10)…his five games with at least 12K this season were the most in franchise history, surpassing Al Downing’s four games in 1963.
Allowed 2ER-or-fewer in 21 of 30 starts this season and 3ER-or-fewer in 23 of his starts.
Tossed at least 6.0IP without allowing a walk in nine starts this season, tied with Toronto’s José Berríos for the most such starts in the Majors.
Made seven scoreless starts of at least 6.0 innings, tied with Los Angeles-NL’s Walker Buehler (seven) for the third-most such starts in the Majors this season, trailing only Milwaukee’s Corbin Burnes (eight) and Philadelphia’s Zack Wheeler (eight)…his seven such starts are the most by a Yankee in a single season since Hiroki Kuroda in 2013 (eight).
His seven games with at least 10K and 1R-or-fewer this season are the most in franchise history (previous: Mike Mussina-5 in 2001, David Cone-5 in 1998 and Ron Guidry-5 in 1978).
Received just 2R-or-fewer of support in 15 of his 30 starts and 3R-or-fewer of support in 19 of those starts.
His six starts this season with at least 10K and 0BB were the most by any Yankee in a single season (previous: Mike Mussina – four in 2001)…were tied for the second-most by a pitcher in a single season in Major League history, trailing his own record of seven such games in 2019…his four games with 12K and 0BB were the most by a Yankee in a single season in franchise history, surpassing Masahiro Tanaka (three in 2017) and Mike Mussina (three in 2001)…were tied for the most by a pitcher in a season in Major League history (Cole also recorded 4G in 2019, Chris Sale had 4G in 2019 and Roger Clemens had 4G in 1997).
Went 10-4 with 1CG, a 3.32 ERA (100.1IP, 37ER) and 135K in 16 road starts this season, allowing 1R-or-fewer in eight of those starts and 2ER-or-fewer in 10 of those starts…was just the second Yankee since 2012 to win 10 road games, joining Domingo Germán (10-3 in 2019).
His 97.8 average fastball velocity was the second in the Majors among qualified pitchers (FanGraphs), trailing only Miami’s Sandy Alcantara.
POSTSEASON CAREER: Is 8-4 with a 2.68 ERA (84.0IP, 54H, 26R/25ER, 20BB, 108K, 13HR) in 13 career postseason starts with Pittsburgh (2013, ’15), Houston (2018-19) and the Yankees (2020)…has allowed 2R-or-fewer in nine of his 13 career postseason starts and 1R-or-fewer in seven of those starts…has tossed at least 7.0 innings in seven of his 13 starts…his .178 (54-for-303) opponents’ BA
ranks third in postseason history (min. 6GS)…his 11.57 K/9.0IP ratio is the third-highest in postseason history (min. 50.0IP), behind Kenley Jansen (12.46) and Walker Buehler (12.18).
Is the only pitcher ever to have at least 12K in three different postseason games…is also just the second pitcher in Major League history to record at least 13K in two postseason games (also Bob Gibson: 13K in 1964 World Series Game 5 at the Yankees and 17K in 1968 World Series Game 1 vs. Detroit).
Is 5-2 with a 2.55 ERA (49.1IP, 14ER) in eight career postseason starts on the road…is undefeated in his last five postseason road starts (since 2019 ALCS Game 3), going 4-0 with a 1.95 ERA (32.1IP, 7ER) in that span.
Is one of four pitchers in Major League history to win eight of his first 13 postseason appearances joining Orlando Hernandez (nine), Orel Hershiser (eight) and Chris Carpenter (eight).
Will be making his fifth career winner-take-all start…will match Roger Clemens (five) for the most in Major League history (no other pitcher has more than three)…is 1-2 with 3.09 ERA (23.1IP, 8ER) in those starts…earned the win in 2019 ALDS Game 5 vs. Tampa Bay (8.0IP, 1ER) but took the loss in 2013 NLDS Game 5 at St. Louis (5.0IP, 2ER) and in the 2015 NL Wild Card Game vs. Chicago-NL (5.0IP, 4ER)…received 0R of support in both of those losses…did not record a decision in 2020 ALDS Game 5 at Tampa Bay at Petco Park (5.1IP, 1ER).
Has pitched in the Wild Card Round twice in his career, going 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA (12.0IP, 6ER)…started the 2015 NL Wild Card Game for Pittsburgh and took the loss (5.0IP, 6H, 4ER, 1BB, 4K, 2HR)…also started Game 1 of the 2020 Wild Card Series and earned the win (7.0IP, 6H, 2ER, 0BB, 13K, 1HR).
Has recorded at least 8K in four straight postseason games overall since Game 5 of the 2019 World Series, the longest streak by a Major League pitcher since Clayton Kershaw’s fourgame streak from 2014-15…only Randy Johnson (eight games from 1997-2001), Curt Schilling (six games in 2001) and Sandy Koufax (five games from 1963-65) have longer streaks.
Went 4-1 with a 1.72 ERA (36.2IP, 21H, 7ER, 11BB, 47K, 4HR) in five postseason starts in 2019 to lead Houston to the American League pennant…tied the AL record for strikeouts in a postseason (also Texas’s Cliff Lee in 2010)…is tied for the second-highest strikeout total by any pitcher in a postseason behind Arizona’s Curt Schilling’s 56K in 2001…set an AL record with four starts of at least 7.0IP and 1R-or-fewer in a single postseason…set a Major League Division Series record with 25K in two starts vs. Tampa Bay in 2019 (2-0, 0.57 ERA, 15.2IP, 6H, 1ER, 3BB, 1HR)…broke the previous mark of 22K shared by Washington’s Stephen Strasburg in 2017 and Detroit’s Justin Verlander in 2012…was the seventh pitcher (ninth occurrence) to record two double-digit-strikeout efforts in one postseason series (first since Washington’s Stephen Strasburg – 2017 NLDS)…in ALDS Game 2 win vs. Tampa Bay, recorded 15K over 7.2 scoreless innings (4H, 1BB)…set an Astros postseason strikeout record, tied for the third-highest strikeout total in Major League postseason history, behind St. Louis’s Bob Gibson (17K in 1968 World Series Game 1 vs. Detroit) and San Diego’s Kevin Brown (16K in 1998 NLDS Game 1 at Houston)…joined Gibson (17K, 1BB) as the only pitchers with 15K and 1BB-or-fewer in a postseason game.
BOSTON RED SOX
HERE WE GO: The Red Sox clinched their spot in the Postseason with Sunday’s 7-5, come-from-behind win over the Nationals, completing a 3-game sweep in Washington. The Sox are making the 25th Postseason appearance in franchise history, their 1st since winning the 2018 World Series championship. The Sox are 102-86-1 all time in Postseason play…They are 22-15 in 37 Postseason series, having gone 7-6 in 13 trips to the ALDS (23-25 in ALDS games), 6-5 in the ALCS (30-32), and 9-4 in the World Series (49-29-1).
TEAM OF THE CENTURY: The Red Sox have won 4 of the last 17 World Series titles (2004, ‘07, ‘13, ‘18), the most championships in MLB this century…Overall, their 9 World Series titles are tied with the A’s for 3rd most all time. Under the current ownership group (2002-present), the Sox have been to the Postseason 11 times…The only other teams with 10+ appearances in the last 20
years are NYY (16), STL (13), LAD (13), and ATL (11).
MOST WORLD SERIES TITLES SINCE 2002
Rk. Team World Series Titles
1. Boston Red Sox 4 (2004, ‘07, ‘13, ‘18)
2. San Francisco Giants 3 (2010, ‘12, ‘14)
3. St. Louis Cardinals 2 (2006, ‘11)
WILD THING: The Red Sox are making their 1st trip to the Wild Card Game…They won the AL East in each of their last 4 Postseason appearances (2013, ‘16-18). The Sox have reached the Postseason without winning the division 8 times (1998-99, 2003-05, 2008-09, ‘21). 7 teams have won a World Series without winning their division, including the 2004 Red Sox and 2 teams that played in a Wild Card Game (2014-SF, 2019-WSH).
AMERICAN LEAGUE WILD CARD STANDINGS
Rk. Team Record Win % WCGB
T1. Red Sox 92-70 .568 –
T1. Yankees 92-70 .568 –
3. Blue Jays 91-71 .562 -1.0
4. Mariners 90-72 .556 -2.0
MOST IMPROVED: The Red Sox recorded MLB’s 2ndlargest increase in win % from 2020 (.400) to 2021 (.168)… It was the 4th-largest increase in win % in franchise history, trailing 1945-46 (.214), 1911-12 (.181), and 2012-13 (.173). Boston’s .400 win % in 2020 (24-36) is the club’s lowest ever prior to a Postseason campaign, surpassing the previous record of .426 (69-93 in 2012). The Sox’ .426 win % in 2012 is the lowest ever for any team prior to a World Series title season.
LARGEST INCREASE IN WIN % FROM 2020 TO 2021
Rk. Team 2020 2021 Diff.
1. Giants .483 (29-31) .660 (107-55) .177
2. Red Sox .400 (24-36) .568 (92-70) .168
3. Mariners .450 (27-33) .556 (90-72) .106
LEAD THE WAY: Alex Cora is the 6th manager to lead the Red Sox to multiple Postseasons, joining Bill Carrigan (1915- 16), Joe Morgan (1988, ‘90), Jimy Williams (1998-99), Terry Francona (2004-05, ‘07-09), and John Farrell (2013, ‘16-17). Cora could join Bill Carrigan (1915-16) and Terry Francona (2004, ‘07) as the only managers to win multiple World Series titles with the Red Sox. Cora is the 1st manager in modern MLB history (since 1900) to manage a full year with a team, then return to that team after a 1-year absence and lead them to the Postseason in his 1st year back (source: Elias).
HIGHEST WIN % BY RED SOX MANAGERS (MIN. 400 GAMES)
Rk. Manager Years Record Win %
1. Alex Cora 2018-19, ‘21 284-202 .584
2. Terry Francona 2004-11 744-552 .574
3. Jimmy Collins 1901-06 455-376 .548
YOU AGAIN?: The Red Sox and Yankees are meeting in the Postseason for the 5th time, having previously played each other in the ALCS (1999, 2003, 2004) and ALDS (2018). The Sox are 7-1 in their last 8 Postseason games vs. the Yankees, after going 4-11 in their first 15 (11-12 overall). The Sox are 1-1 in winner-take-all Postseason games vs. NYY, having lost Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS (5-6, 11
inn.) before winning Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS (10-3).
FENWAY FAITHFUL: The Red Sox are 54-37-1 all time in home Postseason games, including 47-35-1 at Fenway Park… They have won each of their last 3 home Postseason games. The Sox have earned 12 Postseason walk-off wins, most recently in Game 2 of the 2013 ALCS vs. DET. The Sox started the season 10-11 at home but went 39-21 (.650) in their remaining 60 games at Fenway. At home, the Red Sox led the majors in runs per game (5.8), AVG (.281), OBP (.350), and OPS (.831)…Their .605 win % at home ranked 6th in MLB.
WINNER TAKES ALL: The Red Sox are 6-6 all time in winner-take-all Postseason games, including 2-0 in the ALDS, 3-2 in the ALCS, and 1-4 in the World Series. The Sox last played a winner-take-all Postseason game in 2008, when they lost to the Rays in Game 7 of the ALCS at Tropicana Field (L, 1-3).
WINNER-TAKE-ALL POSTSEASON GAMES AT FENWAY PARK
Game Opp. Result
1912 World Series Game 8 NYG W, 3-2 (10)
1967 World Series Game 7 STL L, 2-7
1975 World Series Game 7 CIN L, 3-4
1986 ALCS Game 7 CAL W, 8-1
2007 ALCS Game 7 CLE W, 11-2
AGAINST THE FIELD: The Red Sox were 26-30 against Postseason teams in 2021, having played the Rays (8-11), Yankees (10-9), White Sox (3-4), Astros (2-5), and Braves (3-1)…They were 66-40 (.623) against all other teams.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN: The Red Sox’ Wild Card Game roster features 12 pitchers and 14 position players…14 of the 26 players have appeared in at least 1 Postseason game (7 pitchers, 7 position players); 3 have played in a 1-game Wild Card (Adam Ottavino, Kyle Schwarber, Travis Shaw). 7 players on the roster have appeared in at least 1 Postseason game for the Sox (Bogaerts, Devers, Vázquez, Barnes, Brasier, Eovaldi, Rodriguez). 9 players on the Sox’ roster have won a World Series (Bogaerts, Devers, Hernández, Schwarber, Vázquez, Barnes, Brasier, Eovaldi, Rodriguez).
NATHAN’S FAMOUS: Nathan Eovaldi’s only Postseason appearance came in 2018, when he went 2-1 with a 1.61 ERA (4 ER/22.1 IP) and a .185 opponent AVG in 6 games (2 GS). Eovaldi started Game 3 of the 2018 ALDS at Yankee Stadium and earned the win (7.0 IP, 1 R, 5 H, 0 BB, 5 SO).
2021 A.L. PITCHING WAR LEADERS (FANGRAPHS)
Rk. Player (Team) fWAR
1. Nathan Eovaldi (BOS)……………………..5.6
2. Gerrit Cole (NYY)…………………………………..5.3
3. Carlos Rodón (CWS)………………………………4.9
IT’S NOT HOW YOU START: The Red Sox opened their season by getting swept by the Orioles at Fenway Park, then won their next 9 games…They were the first team in MLB history to open a season with a losing streak of 3+ games and immediately follow it with a win streak of 9+ games (source: Elias). The Sox are the 31st team to reach the Postseason despite losing its first 3 games (last: ATL in 2019). 5 teams have won the World Series despite losing their first 3 games of the regular season: 1911 A’s, 1914 Braves, 1973 A’s, 1998 Yankees, and 2012 Giants.
TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHER
17-NATHAN EOVALDI, RHP 11-9, 3.75 ERA, 32 starts
W-L ERA G GS IP ER HR BB SO AVG WHIP
2021 11-9 3.75 32 32 182.1 76 15 36 195 .253 1.19
CAREER 61-65 4.19 220 201 1148.1 534 119 336 957 .266 1.33
POSTSEASON 2-1 1.61 6 2 22.1 4 1 3 16 .185 0.81
Recent Trends: Threw 6.0 scoreless innings Wednesday at BAL to earn the win (4 H, BB, 7 SO). The Red Sox have won 7 of his last 8 starts and 8 of his last 10. In his last 10 starts at Fenway Park, is 3-1 with a 2.39 ERA (17 ER/64.0 IP)…The Red Sox have won 8 of those 10 starts, outscoring opponents 73-40 over the span. Postseason: Made his Postseason debut in 2018, winning both of his starts and making 4 relief appearances…Posted a 1.61 ERA (4 ER/22.1 IP) with 16 SO and 3 BB. Earned the win in his 1st career Postseason appearance, Game 3 of the 2018 ALDS at NYY (7.0 IP, 5 H, R, 0 BB, 5 SO)…Became the 3rd Red Sox pitcher with 7.0 IP, 0 BB, and 1 or 0 R in a Postseason debut (previous: Dutch Leonard and Rube Foster in 1915).
In Game 3 of the 2018 World Series, threw 97 pitches over 6.0 IP of relief during the Sox’ 3-2 loss in 18 innings–the longest game in World Series history (3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, BB, 5 SO). vs. NYY: Is 3-4 with a 3.64 ERA (29 ER/77.0 IP) over 15 career outings (12 starts) vs. NYY.
Last faced NYY 9/24, allowing a season-high-tying 7 R over a season-low 2.2 IP in an 8-3 loss (7 H, 2 BB)…Prior to 9/24, was 2-1 with a 2.01 ERA (7 ER/31.1 IP) over 5 starts this year vs. NYY. Since joining the Red Sox in 2018, has allowed 2 R or fewer in 10 of his 12 starts vs. NYY (3.03 ERA, 23 ER/68.1 IP), including 1 R over 7.0 IP in Game 3 of the 2018 ALDS.
Rankings: Led qualified AL pitchers in BB/9.0 IP (1.73), FIP (2.79), & GS (tied, 32)…Ranked 2nd in HR/9.0 IP (0.74) & SO/BB (5.57)…Ranked 4th in IP (182.1) & 7th in SO (195). Led AL pitchers and ranked 6th among all AL players (14th in MLB) in FanGraphs’ WAR (5.6).
Season Highlights: Had a career-high 195 SO…His 11 wins, 32 starts, and 182.1 IP are all the 2nd-most of his career (33 GS & 199.2 IP in 2014 with MIA; 14 wins in 2015 with NYY). Tossed at least 5.0 innings in 28 of his 32 starts, including 15 of his last 17. Is the Red Sox’ nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award.
RED SOX STARTING PITCHERS
37 NICK PIVETTA RHP
2021 SEASON: 31 G/30 GS, 9-8, 4.53 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 10.16 SO/9.0 IP
vs. ALL: .234 (137-585) / vs. RHB: .235 (84-358) / vs. LHB: .233 (53-227) Is making his 1st appearance on a Postseason roster. Earned his 2nd career save with a 1-2-3 9th inning Sunday at WSH (1 SO)… His only other save came 8/3/18 with PHI vs. CWS. Took the loss in his last start, Thursday vs. BAL (4.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 8 SO). Led Sox starters in opponent AVG (.234) and ranked 2nd in WHIP (1.30). Tossed 5.0+ innings in 20 of his 30 starts, including 6.0+ innings in 11 of them. In 33 outings (32 starts) since joining BOS, is 11-8 with a 4.36 ERA (80 ER/165 IP)
57 EDUARDO RODRIGUEZ LHP
2021 SEASON: 32 G/31 GS, 13-8, 4.74 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 10.56 SO/9.0 IP
vs. ALL: .277 (172-622) / vs. RHB: .282 (138-490) / vs. LHB: .258 (34-132) In his Postseason career, has made 8 appearances (1 start) and posted an 8.10 ERA (9 ER/10.0 IP) with a .189 opponent AVG, 11 SO, and 5 BB. Was on the Sox’ 2016 and 2017 ALDS rosters, then helped them win the 2018 World Series by appearing in multiple games in each round. Tossed a 1-2-3 8th inn. to earn the win Sunday at WSH (1 SO)…Was his 6th career relief outing, 2nd career relief win (both previously: 9/30/18 vs. NYY). Is 6-2 with a 3.26 ERA (21 ER/58.0 IP) over 12 outings (11 starts) since 8/1. Led the Red Sox and ranked T-5th in the AL in wins (13). Among AL pitchers with at least 100.0+ IP, ranked 7th in SO/9.0 IP (10.56). Posted career bests in SO% (27.4), BB% (7.0), SO/BB (3.94), & FIP (3.32).
