Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees could not wait to get back home. Now that is exactly where they are staying.
C.C. Sabathia became the latest pitcher to put New York in an early hole as rookie manager Aaron Boone again stuck with his starter too long, and the Yankees on Tuesday night fell just short of extending their season with a 4-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox in Game 4 of their American League Division Series.
“That’s the one team that you don’t want to lose to,” outfielder Brett Gardner said.
Photo: Noah Murray-USA Today
New York mounted a last-ditch rally against wild closer Craig Kimbrel, scoring twice in the ninth inning, but the Yankees’ comeback stalled when Gary Sanchez’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly was caught on the left-field warning track and rookie Gleyber Torres grounded out with two on to end it — sort of.
The play at first base was close, so both teams and a sellout crowd held their breath during a dramatic replay review before the out call was upheld following a 63-second delay.
“We played a really hard season. We managed to win 100 games and then we get to this point and we just can’t finish off a series against the Red Sox. It’s tough,” reliever David Robertson said.
Asked about his long fly, Sanchez said through a translator: “I wasn’t sure about it. I hit it well, but I got under it.”
It was a humbling playoff exit for a power-packed Yankees team, who added reigning National League MVP Giancarlo Stanton last off-season and hit an MLB-record 267 home runs.
However, with the stakes at their highest, the Yankees never left the yard in two home games versus Boston.
They were outscored 20-4 as Boston took the series 3-1 and advanced to face the defending World Series champions Houston.
“I didn’t expect to come here and lose two in a row. I expected to come back here and win two in a row,” Gardner said.
“They just had a lot of stuff going right. We’re very equal teams,” Sabathia said. “The ball just bounced their way.”
Adding to the humiliation, the Red Sox got to revel in a second champagne celebration at Yankee Stadium in less than three weeks.
Boston also clinched their third consecutive division crown on enemy ground on Sept. 20.
While the Red Sox roll on seeking their fourth World Series title in 15 years, the Yankees own only one pennant and championship during that span (2009).
On deck: a long winter of wondering how they have fallen behind in a rivalry they dominated for nearly a century.
Before the past two games, New York were 7-0 at home over the past two post-seasons.
Confident players were excited about returning to the Big Apple, and Judge even walked past Boston’s clubhouse inside Fenway Park early on Sunday morning with Frank Sinatra’s rendition of New York, New York blaring from a boom box.
“It’s a good song, and Aaron, he’s one of our resident deejays, so he’s got a pretty extensive playlist,” Boone said later that day. “We like to hear that song sometimes when we win a big game.”
That was the last time they did.
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