Unsung Yankees hero totally flipped the narrative in electric Game 2 turning point

In the seventh inning on Wednesday night in the Bronx, the Boston Red Sox began to do what they typically do when they come to New Yankee Stadium: take free bases. Preen. Flex. Take advantage of the gifts they've been given. Bully the home team. Entrusted with maintaining a tie in one of the biggest innings of his life, Yankees starter Carlos Rodón instead lost the plate entirely, yanking eight pitches against Nate Eaton and Jarren Duran into other realms. His final pitch drilled Duran in the back. One inning after Boone had gotten well-earned credit for leaving his starter in to fight through his issues, he had no choice but to send him back to the pine with the game in the balance.

First and second, nobody out. Typically, this would be Luke Weaver's spot, but Weaver relinquished control over it in Game 1. Instead, Boone went to Fernando Cruz, who spent most of his healthy innings as an escape artist this year, but spent the last few weeks of September as a more ebullient Mark Leiter Jr.

Cruz's brightest moments of 2025 were powered by an historically devastating splitter. By the time the season was hurtling towards its inevitable end, he could no longer locate it, and too many hitters feasted on the fastball. It was Cruz who lost the dish in the bizarre implosion against Detroit that briefly threatened to define the home stretch. It was Cruz who was touched up a tick for multiple solo shots at Fenway Park, the lone blemish in an excellent series.

And it was Cruz on Wednesday, the final line of defense against Boston's bullying efforts, who threw two pitch-perfect splitters to Ceddanne Rafaela, who couldn't bunt either of them. Cruz hopped in the air to field the floating popover, as the broadcast noted he used to be a shortstop in another life. Sure. One away.

He then became the first pitcher to easily handle Nick Sogard in the entire series, inducing a popup. That's two.

With a full count (why not?) to Masataka Yoshida, forced into a fastball, he watched Boston's hottest hitter tag him up the middle, only for Jazz Chisholm Jr. to headlong dive and keep the ball on the infield. It skittered by Ben Rice. Nate Eaton, racing to third, could've undeniably scored. He probably could've scored twice. He didn't try.

And then, forced into more fastballs by Trevor Story, Cruz finished with a flourish, as the shortstop stomped on one ... but not forcefully enough.

Yankees unsung hero Fernando Cruz completely changed the tide of Game 2 of the Wild Card Round vs. the Red Sox with one escape

From that moment in time, when Story's rocket nestled comfortably in Grisham's padded glove and Cruz gyrated like Charlie Sheen in Wall Street or Nicolas Cage in any movie, the entire tenor of the game changed. Bounces that have gone Boston's way in nine of the last 10 playoff matchups between the two sides began to slide in the Yankees' direction.

Devin Williams, after allowing a leadoff single to Alex Bregman, stabbed a double play ball, nearly threw it into center field, and saw it corralled by Anthony Volpe in the most fluid motion of his career to date. With two outs in the bottom of the eighth, Jazz Chisholm Jr. scored from first on a rocket down the line from Austin Wells, hustling all the way as the ball bounced off the tarp, but not up into the stands, and not directly to Eaton. Eaton's right arm was slightly pained, as he'd been hit by a wayward Carlos Narvaez bat the previous half inning. The throw was just late.

David Bednar entered for the ninth. With a full count to Wilyer Abreu, he burned a fastball past his bat path on the outer corner. With a full count to Jarren Duran, he buzzed the upper inside portion of the plate by a centimeter or two — and, even more shockingly, got the call. And, with every Yankee fan full of dread, the zoomed-out center field camera angle saw Ceddanne Rafaela stomp all over an 0-2 fastball that caught too much plate, only for Aaton Judge to snag it with steps to spare.

It's reductive to tie all of these "game of inches" moments back to Cruz, but his gumption fully changed the Yankees' attitude. It was a team-wide shift. It was tangible. And it gave the home fans the thrilling victory they've long deserved after so many Bostonian feats. We will see those fans again tomorrow, thanks in large part to the Yankees' unlikeliest bullpen weapon.