yankees stun red Sox in ALWC Game 3, Advance to division Series
BOSTON, MA – October 2, 2025 – In a dramatic, back-and-forth affair at Fenway Park, the New York Yankees defeated the Boston Red Sox 8-7 in Game 3 of the American League Wild Card Series, securing their place in the Division Series against the Houston Astros. The Yankees overcame a three-run deficit in the eighth inning, capped by a go-ahead two-run home run from Giancarlo Stanton, to eliminate the Red Sox and extend their postseason run.
This victory marks the Yankees’ first postseason series win over the Red Sox since the 2004 ALCS, breaking a decades-long narrative of Boston dominance in October. The AL Wild Card Series, introduced in 2012, provides an additional playoff berth for each league, intensifying the competition and creating high-stakes, winner-take-all scenarios like the one witnessed today. the Yankees’ advancement continues their pursuit of a 28th World Series title, while the Red Sox’s season ends in heartbreaking fashion, falling short of their playoff aspirations.
The game was a rollercoaster from the start. Boston jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning, fueled by a Masataka Yoshida RBI single and a two-run double from Rafael Devers. New York responded with two runs in the third,highlighted by an Aaron Judge solo home run – his first of the postseason – and an Anthony Volpe RBI groundout.
The Red Sox regained the lead in the sixth, adding three more runs, including a Jarren Duran solo shot. however, the Yankees began their comeback in the seventh, scoring a run on a Gleyber Torres sacrifice fly. the eighth inning proved to be the turning point. After loading the bases with one out, Stanton launched a towering two-run home run to right field, giving New York a 7-6 advantage. An insurance run scored on a wild pitch, extending the lead to 8-6.
Boston threatened in the bottom of the ninth, scoring a run on a triston Casas RBI single, but Yankees closer clay Holmes managed to strand the tying run on second, securing the 8-7 victory.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone praised Stanton’s clutch performance: “Giancarlo has been working incredibly hard, and to see him come through in that moment, with everything on the line, was huge for us.” Red Sox manager Alex Cora acknowledged the Yankees’ resilience: “They just kept coming at us. We played a good game, but they were better tonight.”
The Yankees will now travel to Houston to face the Astros in a best-of-five Division Series, beginning on October 5th.
Data regarding logos, statistics, and data providers is sourced from: Sports Reference LLC (www.sports-reference.com), SportsLogos.net (sportslogos.net), RetroSheet (www.retrosheet.org), Tom Tango of InsideTheBook.com (www.tangotiger.com), Sean Smith of Baseballprojection.com (baseballprojection.com), Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports (www.hiddengamesports.com), Sports Info solutions (www.sportsinfosolutions.com), SportRadar (www.sportradar.com), and David McWater & David Davis for past data and images.
