The New York Yankees finally toppled the Boston Red Sox on Sunday night behind a stellar outing on the mound from Carlos Rodón and five total home runs from the offense. Trent Grisham and Jazz Chisholm both went yard twice. It was a much-needed balm for Yankees fans after three straight losses to Boston, all of which inspired varying degrees of embarrassment.
This is a great win for the Yankees. It moves them within a half-game of Boston for the top Wild Card spot in the American League and it's a nice reminder that this team can get scorching-hot from the plate. When the Yankees win, it's often with their slugging. To hit five homers and drop seven runs on seven hits in a game where Aaron Judge went 0-for-3? That ought to encourage folks.
But it won't. Not in any serious way. The Yankees survived a haggard stretch after the All-Star break and have held strong in the postseason race, but Sunday was merely a brief respite from their most chronic weaknesses. Not a sign of meaningful change.
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Yankees didn't exorcise any demons in series finale win over Red Sox
While this was a necessary win (and a borderline inevitable win, given the law of averages), it's hard to feel like the Yankees turned a corner. In fact, single game results almost never mean that much in MLB, especially when the win comes after back-to-back-to-back losses to your most hatred rival in your home ballpark.
But more specifically, the Yankees did not assuage any concerns about the core issues of this team.
Jose Caballero filled in at shortstop for most of the game and New York's defense was solid all around, but Anthony Volpe wound up on the field in the final innings. Aaron Boone isn't going to commit to a wholesale benching of the former Gold Glove winner turned league leader in errors. That feels like a mistake.
More consequential to this specific game was New York's power. We know the Yankees can get hot and hammer home runs, but we also know New York can go through extended contact droughts. The Yankees have been boom or bust all season. Five of their seven hits on Sunday were home runs. That is great, but those homers came off of Dustin May and Walker Buehler, two pitchers who won't be in the Red Sox' postseason rotation. It feels like a case of New York beating up on a favorable matchup, rather than substantially altering their plate approach and implementing more sustainable strategies.
The Yankees' bullpen still put two runners in scoring position with only one out in the ninth inning, which forced them to warm up David Bednar. Camilo Doval got out of the jam, but the Yankees were walking a thin line. Roman Anthony, the new bane of Yankees' fans existence, hit a rocket into centerfield that would have been a home run in Boston, L.A., and most MLB stadiums. That is called good luck.
Red Sox still win the vibes test after 3-1 series win
If you were to poll each fanbase after Sunday night's game, spirits are undebiably higher in Boston right now. While Yankees fans can celebrate the immediate satisfaction of a win (plus a couple easier matchups on the horizon), the Red Sox hold the lead in the Wild Card standings and control most of the positive momentum in the AL East.
Boston is on the schedule once more this season — a three-game series in which the Yankees will attempt to improve their abysmal 2-8 record against the Red Sox in 2025. If the Yankees can sweep through that series, we can revisit this conversation. But for now, it's not like New York fans can go parading through the streets.