Red Sox 3, Yankees 2 F/10: Sox Defy Gravity, Parade out of Bronx with Series Win

Start spreadin’ the news. Brayan Bello has arrived.

On a night where the Red Sox needed some spark to break them out of their Spooky Mormon Hell Dream, Bello didn’t throw away his shot and put on an evening performance worthy of at least a Tony nomination. It’s been one thing to see guys like Chris Sale (pre-now injury) and James Paxton toss great outings, it’s another to watch the young guys that the Sox need to develop into big-time talent showcase exactly why they’re vital to the future of the squad. Was it a flashy outing? No, which is why the Tony Award does not go to Bello for his performance tonight. However, he went as deep as the Sox needed him to, and in the face of multiple disastrous situations, he stayed cool, relaxed, hip, and on his tracks.

Take the second inning, the only time Bello gave up any runs. It wasn’t even any fault of his own, as Trevino’s RBI base hit was literally a base hit, a probable out if Pablo Reyes isn’t interfered with by the 18x18 bag. Bello had a giant smile and tossed his hands in the air in a “what can you do” kinda attitude, got Oswaldo Cabrera out and left it at that. Aside from a couple of walks and a little luck of his own with Masataka Yoshida’s stellar sliding grab, Bello kept the Yankees quieter than a Broadway house on a Monday.

As with any good show, there are a few good B stories, like Kiké Hernandez coming through in the clutch, the bullpen actually doing good things, and the bats that are still beyond quiet, but the best B story tonight is truly Brayan Bello.

Three Studs

Kiké Hernandez (.273 WPA, 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI)

For all of his defensive mistakes this season, a broken clock can be right twice a day. Nice to see him come through with something positive with the game-winning RBI.

Chris Martin (.191 WPA, 1.0 IP, 2 Ks, save)

There’s no Coldplay jukebox musical, but Chris Martin put on a show in the bottom of the 10th. Between his cutter, changeup and fastball, he sat down Jose Trevino and Anthony Volpe to seal the victory.

Kenley Jansen (.132 WPA, 1.0 IP, 1 K, win)

Non-save situation? No problem, as Jansen tossed a quick 1-2-3 9th to send this one to extras.

Three Duds

Alex Verdugo (-.160 WPA, 1-for-4)

Verdugo could have given the Red Sox the lead earlier than extras with Connor Wong on third and two down in the top of the 8th, but grounded out to first. Otherwise, a somewhat pedestrian night.

Masataka Yoshida (-.158 WPA, 0-for-4)

Yoshida didn’t get any hits this series? Huh. No matter, as he still made one heck of an impact with his glove.

Pablo Reyes (-.057 WPA, 0-for-3, 1 K)

Oh, Pablo. I still don’t get why there was a Red Sox challenge on his flyout, but he came oh-so-close to padding the Red Sox’s lead if Billy McKinney let Reyes’ fly ball hit the pads of the left-field wall.

Play of the Game

By WPA, it’s surprisingly Billy McKinney flying out to lead off the bottom of the 10th inning? You know what, WPA be damned (it still ranks high, 4th in WPA with .170), take it away, Kiké.