In a night of decisive postseason baseball, three American League and National League clubs wrapped up their wild‑card series with dominant performances. The New York Yankees eliminated the Boston Red Sox, the Chicago White Sox swept the Houston Astros, and the San Diego Padres finished off the Chicago Cubs.
Yankees finish off Red Sox
New York took a 2‑1 lead into the sixth inning before exploding for six runs. Cody Bellinger capped the rally with a three‑run homer off Garrett Whitlock, finishing with four RBIs. Luis Garcia Jr. added a solo shot, and left‑hander Max Fried (1‑0) delivered six strong innings, allowing just one run on three hits.
Despite the absence of Aaron Judge, who is nursing a strained right calf, the Yankees posted 18 runs on 26 hits in the two‑game series. They will open the AL Division Series against top‑seeded Tampa Bay on Saturday in St. Petersburg, Florida.
White Sox complete sweep of Astros
Chicago’s offense surged early, building a 4‑0 lead in the first inning on RBI singles by Kyle Teel, Andrew Benintendi and Tristan Peters before Astros starter Hunter Brown could retire the side. Chase Meidroth’s three‑run homer in the sixth cemented the advantage.
The White Sox’s 7‑3 victory gives the franchise its first postseason series win since sweeping the Astros in the 2005 World Series. Chicago now heads to Cleveland to meet the Guardians in the AL Division Series.
Houston’s Jeremy Pena, Cam Smith and José Altuve each homered, but starter Sean Burke allowed three runs and four hits over four innings, striking out eight.
Padres sweep Cubs to claim NL wild‑card
San Diego’s bullpen delivered a combined 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing only two hits as the Padres completed a two‑game sweep of Chicago. Gavin Sheets, coming off the bench, hit a pinch‑hit two‑run homer to give the Padres a 4‑1 win.
Xander Bogaerts contributed two hits and an RBI, while Jackson Merrill and Ty France each added a hit and a run. The Padres now travel to Milwaukee to face the top‑seeded Brewers in the NL Division Series.
For the Cubs, Nico Hoerner recorded two hits, including an RBI single for the team’s lone run. Chicago led the majors with 850 regular‑season runs, but fell short in the postseason, with stars Pete Crow‑Armstrong and Alex Bregman going 0‑4 in Game 2.
Phillies force decisive Game 3 against Braves
Philadelphia secured a 4‑3 win in ten innings, thanks to Alec Bohm’s solo homer in the bottom of the 10th. The Braves had held a 3‑1 lead into the eighth, when Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper hit back‑to‑back homers.
Phillies starter Christopher Sanchez gave up three runs over 6 2/3 innings, while rookie reliever Andrew Painter (1‑0) threw three scoreless innings in his postseason debut.
Matt Olson drove in two runs for Atlanta, but a strong start from Tyler Mahle (despite an abdominal pull in warm‑ups) was not enough; Mahle allowed one run and six hits over seven innings.
These results set the stage for a winner‑take‑all Game 3 in Atlanta on Thursday, with both clubs looking to advance to the NL Championship Series.
Overall, the wild‑card round showcased power hitting, clutch performances and strong bullpen work, underscoring why baseball remains America’s pastime.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
