NEW YORK — Aaron Boone walked into the media conference room in Yankee Stadium, lifted the ski goggles over his neck and placed them down on the table, all while maintaining a stoic expression on his face.
However, it didn’t take long for the contentment he felt to seep through.
“That was very satisfying to play that well in these two games,” Boone said.
The New York Yankees manager, soaked in champagne, was speaking to media just minutes after his team walloped the Boston Red Sox 9-2 to clinch the American League wild-card series for the second straight year.
Up next is a date with the Tampa Bay Rays (98-64) in a division series that features AL East rivals who concluded the regular season with the two best records in the league.
“Just really pleased with how we played,” said Boone, who led New York to a 93-68 record. “Obviously, we’re really going to enjoy that and excited to get our shot at a really good Tampa club.”
Boone is justified in his feelings after the Yankees completely dismantled the Red Sox over this two-game series, outscoring Boston 18-2. Sure, it was just a pair of contests, but there’s a real feeling in New York that this Yankees team is dangerous and positioned well in all facets of its roster.
They’re playing engaged, spirited baseball that includes hustling on the basepaths, grinding pitchers with tough at-bats and tight defence.
The Yankees have a clear ace in Game 1 hero Cam Schlittler and a healthy rotation featuring veterans Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon and Max Fried, who tossed six innings and allowed one run on Wednesday.
The lineup features a burgeoning superstar in Ben Rice, the other hero of Game 1, and a bevy of productive secondary pieces like Cody Bellinger and Luis Garcia Jr., both of whom homered on Wednesday.
They’re getting contributions throughout the lineup — catcher Austin Wells drove in four runs in the series — while rookies Spencer Jones and George Lombard Jr. are playing like grizzled veterans.
Then, on top of all that, there’s a chance Aaron Judge could return soon from the right calf injury that’s sidelined him for the past two weeks.
“With this group, I feel like it’s going to take everyone,” said Boone. “So, my plan, day in and day out, it’s going to be a little different, potentially. And that phrase ‘all hands on deck’ certainly applies to us with our team right now.”
Added Bellinger: “The team is built on a bunch of different guys, free agency trades, development in the system, and the young guys have done a tremendous job. It’s been fun to watch. It’s fun to watch them grow. And they’ve been a huge part of our success.”
Those young players, specifically Jones and Lombard, have helped the Yankees win on the margins, too, a trait that’s been missing from previous iterations of the club.
A perfect example of that came in the sixth inning of Game 2 when Jones swung and missed on a sweeper from Red Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet that bounced away from catcher Adley Rutschman, allowing Jones to hustle to first base.
Jones’s teammates appreciated him sprinting down the line.
“That was really impressive and lit a fire in our dugout,” said Bellinger.
Jones then stole second, advanced to third on Rutschman’s throwing error and scored on Lombard Jr.’s clutch opposite-field single off Crochet. In total, the Yankees strung together three singles and a sacrifice fly before Bellinger’s three-run homer added an exclamation mark to the six-run inning that broke the game open.
“That was a cool moment,” said Bellinger. “I feel like I was able to enjoy that one. Just a home game in Yankee Stadium; it’s a really fun atmosphere. It’s fun to play. And hopefully we get many, many more this month.”
The Red Sox, meanwhile, are limping home with some decisions that will haunt them over the winter.
Rookie manager Chad Tracy removed his starting pitchers after 4.2 innings in each game, and it burned him both times. On Tuesday, he replaced Payton Tolle with fellow left-hander Erik Miller, and Rice promptly crushed a homer. Then, on Wednesday, he removed Sonny Gray in favour of Miller again, and Bellinger promptly stroked an RBI single that put the Yankees up 2-0, before the Red Sox bullpen eventually combusted.
“We’re trailing (there), we’re struggling to score runs,” Tracy explained. “And when you get in spots where (you’re) struggling to score runs and you’re already trailing, you feel like you’ve got to be aggressive and go.
“Our bullpen’s been great all year,” he added. “It’s a case sometimes of depending on what the score is and how much wiggle room you have. If we were able to put up some runs and maybe have some more breathing room, we might be able to do that. But trying to be aggressive and create tough matchups, and it just didn’t work out.”
He was asked for his assessment of the Yankees.
“I thought they swung the bats great,” replied Tracy. “I think coming in with some lefty (pitchers) that we had, I just thought they swung the bats extremely, extremely well. Both nights it started to accumulate late in the game.”
Later in Boone’s press conference, after he’d finally cracked a smile, he also heaped praise on his lineup.
“I thought we did a lot of good things offensively,” he said. “I told those guys, ‘We play like that, we have a chance to beat anybody.’ We have hopefully a long month in front of us.
“And we know the next obstacle is a really challenging one with the Rays, but I love how they’re playing the game.”