WIN or GO HOME: Another chapter in the Yankees-Red Sox storied rivalry

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00:00Game three, Yankees-Red Sox needs absolutely zero introduction, and neither does our guest,

00:06but I got to do it for formalities.

00:07Coming on with us right now is longtime Yankees beat writer for The Post, Greg Joyce.

00:13Greg, back-to-back ESPN instant classics we've seen in this wildcard series.

00:19I guess I'll go ahead and start with this one.

00:21We're talking about the coaching matchup that we're seeing.

00:24Aaron Boone and Alex Cora have been playing, I guess, a chess match all series long with their lineup,

00:30their pitching, and in-game decision-making.

00:33After Boone's moves in game two, do you think he outmanaged Cora to even this series,

00:39or is Cora still, I guess, holding the upper hand going into game three?

00:45Yeah, I mean, Cora definitely tried to go for the kill, I guess, you know, yesterday,

00:49kind of taking Brian Baio out early third inning and trying to go bullpen the rest of the way

00:53and finish the series right then and there in game two.

00:57You know, that could have potentially tried to lead, you know, the Yankees into kind of, you know,

01:02playing some of those platoons, pitch hitting some guys,

01:04but Aaron Boone kind of stuck with his guys, you know, stuck with Ben Rice,

01:08stuck with Jazz Chisholm, and obviously those two guys, you know,

01:11were two of the biggest heroes of the game for the Yankees.

01:14Rice having the early home run and Jazz coming through late with his base running

01:18and some defensive plays as well.

01:21So, you know, it seems like it's, you know, back on equal footing here going into game three.

01:26You know, the thing with Cora's gamble yesterday is now, you know,

01:29the Red Sox are kind of, you know, looking at somewhat of a bullpen game tonight.

01:35They got a rookie, Connelly, early starting, but he's only, you know,

01:39thrown like 70, 75 pitches, 80 pitches in most of his, you know,

01:43his couple MLB starts so far.

01:46So it'll be interesting to see what they do.

01:47And, you know, besides the actual win last night, one of the biggest wins the Yankees got

01:51was, you know, having, making Garrett Whitlock throw, I think, 47 pitches.

01:56So that's one of the Red Sox best relievers who we'll see if he's available tonight.

02:01But, yeah, it seemed like Cora was kind of going super aggressive last night,

02:05trying to finish the series there, and the Yankees were able to hold on.

02:09And, you know, the one other area that Boone kind of, you know,

02:13was better at in game two is that same part of the lineup came out.

02:17Came up, did he put Luke Weaver in in game one that backfired?

02:21And that same lineup, same part of the bottom part of the lineup came up last night

02:25when, when we're doing Rodon was done and Boone went with Fernando Cruz this time

02:29and ended up getting out of the bases loaded jam.

02:32So, you know, like you said, it's kind of a chess match between these two right now.

02:37And, you know, we'll see how game three finishes tonight.

02:39The next part or the next move of this chess match is the game three pitching.

02:45As you know, pitching is always going to be the headline in a do-or-die game.

02:48And two rookies are the headliners tonight.

02:51Cam Schlittler gets the start for the Yanks.

02:53And as you mentioned, Connelly Early gets the start for the Red Sox.

02:57On the Yankees side of things, how do you see Boone kind of handling the starter

03:02versus bullpen strategy in game three?

03:04You think they're going to ride their guy deep in terms of Schlittler or do you think

03:07it's an all-hands-on-deck type of night like Cora went in game two?

03:13Yeah, I think a game three, winner-take-all, it's got to be all-hands-on-deck.

03:16But I do think they trust Schlittler maybe more than, you know, a normal rookie.

03:21You know, he's shown in, you know, in the time that he's been up that he's kind of earned

03:26their trust, you know, in his last regular season start.

03:28He went seven innings, granted that was against the Orioles and not a high-stakes,

03:34you know, the super high-stakes game like this.

03:36And so, we'll see.

03:37I think it depends on how Schlittler looks early, what his stuff looks like, you know,

03:41how he's kind of handling the environment.

03:44There's been nothing to suggest that he can't handle it so far.

03:47You know, he's pitching some big games against some good teams during the regular season,

03:50but obviously this is another beast.

03:52So, it'll be, I'm sure they'll kind of read him early.

03:54But he's been a guy who, you know, he has the stuff to get through a lineup a couple times,

03:59you know, with that high 90s fastball and enough secondaries to kind of carve up lineups.

04:04So, obviously, the pressure will be on him this, you know, this game three,

04:08unlike any that he's pitched in the big leagues before.

04:10So, I'm sure that, you know, I don't think it's going to be a super long leaf

04:13if he were to get into trouble.

04:15But, you know, I think they trust him enough to give them a good start.

04:19And then, you know, when they feel like maybe his stuff's taking a tick back

04:23or that he's getting in some trouble, I think they'll go to the bullpen.

04:27You know, most of those guys that there's been a couple guys

04:29who have thrown them back-to-back nights, but their pitch cons have been fairly low.

04:32So, the Yankees pretty much all season haven't thrown any guys on three straight days.

04:37But that's so that they're in a position to do so now.

04:39So, I wouldn't be surprised if at least most of those guys are available tonight.

04:43And so, they should have almost all, if not all, their high-leverage guys

04:47to be able to find a way to get through 27 outs or more if needed.

04:51When we talk Game 3 rival game, we know all about the stars in the Yankees lineup.

04:58But who would you say would be the unsung hero for tonight?

05:01Like, who's going to come up big in a clutch moment tonight for the Yankees?

05:06Yeah, I mean, the first two games have been pretty quiet for Giancarlo Stanton.

05:10And, you know, obviously we've seen him have so many October moments

05:12the last couple of years.

05:14So, you're kind of waiting.

05:15You know, it seems like he's just a matter of time before he gets a big hit.

05:18So, I wouldn't be surprised if he has one.

05:21You know, Trent Grisham has had a fairly quiet first few games.

05:25You know, he was a little bit productive last night, had a double and a walk,

05:28scored a run.

05:29But he's the guy that during the regular season, it seemed like, you know,

05:32in the clutch when the Yankees needed a big swing, he delivered there.

05:35So, you know, keeping an eye on him too.

05:37And also just, you know, the two guys who did it last night with Ben Rice

05:40and Jazz Chisholm, obviously, you know, in different ways.

05:43Rice with his power and Jazz with his speed.

05:46He didn't, you know, capable of changing the game at any moment.

05:50So, you know, the Yankees have kind of had different guys do it

05:53through the first two games.

05:55So, but like I said, Stanton's been a little bit quiet.

05:57So, you figure that maybe that changes at some point here

06:00because we've seen it happen so many times before.

06:02Ben Rice hitting a home run in his first postseason at bat,

06:07growing up in Massachusetts as a Yankees fan.

06:09You can only dream of that as a little kid.

06:13And if Trent Grisham comes up big again, I'm going to shave down my beard

06:16and I'm going to go with the stash for the rest of the postseason.

06:19But now it's a winner take all game three.

06:22You've covered this rivalry for years.

06:25We've all lived it for years.

06:26With how this season has gone for the Yankees

06:29after making it to the World Series last year,

06:31what's at stake for Boone, for Judge, and this Yankees group

06:35if they lose to their arch rival in this spot?

06:39Yeah, I think it's a lot on the line.

06:42You know, every playoff series is, but especially this one,

06:44you know, the last two times, you know, this group of Yankees

06:48with Boone and Judge have faced the Red Sox in the playoffs.

06:51They've been set packing, obviously, the 2018 ALDS

06:55and the 2021 wildcard game with the Red Sox winning both of those.

06:59So, you know, that's their recent history.

07:01Between these two teams in the playoffs, but also just, you know,

07:04the rap on the Yankees has been, you know, a lot of times

07:07when they've beaten up on some AL Central teams in the playoffs

07:10and, you know, they can only play the teams that are in front of them.

07:13But, you know, they seem to have some harder times against, you know,

07:16teams that are, you know, either AL East teams

07:18or the Astros in the West.

07:19So, I think there's a lot, you know, it's a big, you know,

07:23kind of a prove it series.

07:24Obviously, beyond what happened in the regular season, it's the playoffs.

07:28So, obviously, everything's on the line.

07:29But, you know, it was a team that did give the Yankees trouble

07:32during the regular season and, you know,

07:34has the times through the first two games.

07:36But it's kind of, you know, one of those series that helps, you know,

07:40kind of build legacies, I guess.

07:41And obviously, it's just the first round of the playoffs.

07:43But another team that gave the Yankees trouble during the regular season

07:47is waiting in the ALDS and the Blue Jays.

07:49So, you know, it would kind of create another opportunity

07:52to have another big moment there against a division rival.

07:55But obviously, you've got to take care of business tonight.

07:57But, yeah, there's a lot on the line.

07:59You know, kind of high-pressure situation.

08:01That's when you see what teams and, you know, star players

08:05are really made of.

08:06So, we'll see what the end result is tonight.

08:09I forgot to say it after your answer,

08:11but my unsung hero is going to be Anthony Volpe.

08:13Like, I have a feeling Volpe's going to come up big,

08:16especially after everything he went through throughout this season.

08:19I'm rooting for that guy.

08:20Greg, get to and from the stadium safe.

08:24It's going to be a wild one tonight.

08:25Thanks for joining us, man.

08:27You got it.

08:28Thanks, Brandon.

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