The Red Sox are up 1-0 on the Yankees in the American League Wild Card round, after a heart-stopping Game 1 win over the Yankees in New York on Tuesday night. Boston ace Garrett Crochet delivered a filthy performance on the mound and the Red Sox bats got to the New York bullpen for a 3-1 win.

Aroldis Chapman made it real interesting in the bottom of the ninth when he loaded the bases with no outs. But the All-Star closer retired the next three batters, striking out Trent Grisham with a 101 mph fastball to escape with the victory.

Boston earned the win at Yankee Stadium on 7.2 masterful innings from Crochet, who retired 17 straight at one point and struck out 11 Yankees. The Red Sox offense didn't muster much against Yankees starter Max Fried, but tagged the New York bullpen for a pair of runs after Fried departed in the top of the seventh.

Ceddanne Rafeala worked a nine-pitch walk with one out in the seventh, and Nate Sogard followed by aggressively taking second on a liner to right field. It gave Boston two runners in scoring position with just one out, and put loads of pressure on New York reliever Luke Weaver. 

Weaver couldn't handle that pressure, as Masataka Yoshida ripped a pinch-hit, two-run single off the first pitch he saw to put Boston on top 2-1. With his RBI single, Yoshida became the first pinch hitter in Red Sox postseason history to turn a deficit into a lead.

Alex Bregman (2-for-4 with a walk) ripped an RBI double off David Bednar in the top of the ninth to give Boston some insurance. They didn't need it, but it helped as Chapman loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth before he recorded an out. But he struck out Giancarlo Stanton, got Jazz Chisholm to fly out to right, and then fanned Grisham for the save.

It's a huge win for the Red Sox, who are now one win away from advancing to the ALDS against the Toronto Blue Jays. Since the best-of-three Wild Card format was introduced in 2022, teams that win Game 1 have gone on to win all 12 series. Ten of those series ended in a two-game sweep. 

"Hopefully we can continue that," Boston manager Alex Cora said after the win. "We have a tough one tomorrow again."

"It's a next pitch mentality. You take it one pitch at a time," said Bregman. "When the clock strikes midnight tonight, it's onto the next day and the next pitch. We have to stay focused on execution."

Garrett Crochet was locked in for Red Sox

Crochet made just one mistake in Game 1, when Anthony Volpe took a 97 mph fastball in the bottom of the second and sent it 382 feet into the right field stands to give New York a 1-0 lead. But Crochet was locked in from there, as he retired 17 straight with relative ease. 

He got a 1-2-3 third inning with a pair of strikeouts. He set the Yankees down in order in the fourth with another K, and then again when he struck out the side in the fifth. After the first two batters of the bottom of the sixth flied out, Crochet got Judge swinging and missing at his 94th pitch of the night -- an 88 mph cutter -- to end the inning.

Crochet needed just six pitches to retire the Yankees in the bottom of the seventh, as he got Cody Bellinger to fly out and Giancarlo Stanton and Amed Rosario to ground out to third. 

Crochet was back out for the eighth inning at 100 pitches, and was able to get two outs for Boston. He fanned Grisham to start the frame for his 10th strikeout of the night and 17th straight putout. Volpe singled up the middle just under Crochet's glove, but then the big lefty froze Austin Wells on a 100 mph fastball at the knees for the inning's second out.

It was Crochet's 117th and final pitch of the night. He threw 78 of those pitches for strikes.

Aroldis Chapman hangs on

Alex Cora went to Chapman to get the final out of the eighth against Jose Caballero, and that too brought about some drama. Chapman let Volpe get to second on a disengagement violation (potentially on purpose to get the dancing Volpe out of his line of vision) to put the tying run in scoring position.

He got Caballero to fly out to right, but that out had some drama too.  Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu nearly collided in the outfield as Abreu caught the ball for the final out. 

Then game that bottom of the ninth, when Chapman allowed singles to Paul Goldschmidt, Judge, and Cody Bellinger on just five pitches. But he got the next three outs to preserve the win for Boston. 

Red Sox helped out Max Fried, but got to Yankees bullpen

Fried's changeup baffled the Boston bats while he was on the mound, as he got four of his six strikeouts on the pitch. But the Red Sox helped him out too. A lot.

Boston got seven base runners against the Yankees starter, who allowed four hits and walked three. But the Red Sox scored zero runs against Fried over his 6.1 innings of work, as they left three on base and Nate Eaton grounded into a double play with one out in the sixth.

Fried departed in the top of the seventh with one out, which is when Boston struck against the Yankees bullpen.

First, Rafaela worked a nine-pitch walk against Weaver after falling into an 0-2 hole. Sogard then ripped a liner to right to send Rafaela to third, and the second baseman got aggressive on the basepaths and got to second base ahead of Judge's throw. 

Yoshida then pinch-hit for Rob Refsnyder, and took the first pitch he saw from Weaver and laced it to center, which plated Rafaela and Eaton to put Boston on top, 2-1.

What's next for Red Sox-Yankees Wild Card series?

Game 2 is Wednesday night in the Bronx, with first pitch set for 6:08 p.m. again. Brayan Bello will be on the hill for the Red Sox, with Carlos Rodon going for the Yankees.