Max Fried expression while Yankees blow Game 1 adds to pathetic Red Sox playoff stat

Hat tip to Max Fried. Hat tip to Anthony Volpe. Absolutely nothing to nobody else. That pretty much summed up the New York Yankees' loss to the Boston Red Sox in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series on Tuesday night.

Volpe homered off Garrett Crochet to give the Yankees their only run of the game. He later singled off Crochet in the eighth in an attempt to start a rally, but you can guess what happened after that. (They didn't come through after an Aroldis Chapman balk put Volpe in scoring position.)

The Yankees logged seven hits and ZERO walks in this one while striking out 11 times. That's why Fried's outing was so important. The bet was that they were going to fail against Crochet, and they did. So Fried's 6 1/3 scoreless innings were a godsend, especially as he clung to a 1-0 lead.

But then Aaron Boone got the call from Big Data and removed Fried after 102 pitches (just for comparison, Alex Cora kept Crochet in for 117 pitches as he mowed through as many Yankees hitters as humanly possible). Luke Weaver entered the game, got No. 8 hitter Ceddanne Rafaela in an 0-2 count, and then completely unraveled.

He walked Rafaela, gave up a double to Nick Sogard, and then surrendered a two-run single to pinch-hitter Masataka Yoshida. In the blink of an eye, the lead was gone. The game felt over, and it was. The Yankees lost 3-1. And the moment Yoshida's single touched the outfield grass, all of us were Max Fried.

Yankees lose Game 1 of Wild Card Series to Red Sox in typical brutal fashion

To make matters worse, Fried's first career postseason start as a Yankee was historic. He became the first player in franchise history to toss six or more scoreless innings against the Red Sox in the playoffs. There have been 25 postseason contests between the rivals. Is that a joke?

So the Yankees finally stymie their rival for the first time in 26 years and ... this is what they have to show for it? Another blown lead by the bullpen as their opponent out-hustled and out-smarted them? Brilliant.

Let's not forget, they led off the game with two singles against Crochet before Cody Bellinger struck out and Giancarlo Stanton grounded into a double play. They logged TWO HITS in after Aaron Judge's first-inning single before they rallied for three straight singles in the ninth against Chapman. They loaded the bases. Nobody out. Stanton struck out. Jazz Chisholm Jr. flied out. Trent Grisham struck out to end it.

The Yankees losing this game was not unlikely by any means. But they of course lost it in a manner they absolutely couldn't for morale purposes. See you for Game 2, with Brayan Bello on the mound, who owns a career 2.35 ERA against New York in 11 starts. Joy!