Jon Heyman Yankees back in ALDS in large part to five wise decisions By Jon Heyman Published Oct. 1, 2026, 2:53 a.m. ET Max Fried held the Red Sox to one run over six innings in the Yankees' 9-2 AL wild card series-clinching win on Sept. 30 2026 at the Stadium. Robert Sabo for New York Post To make it to your second champagne celebration, you have to make more right decisions than wrong ones. The Yankees aren’t batting 1.000, but today, as they prepare to head to Tampa Bay to face the Rays, it’s fair to say the Yankees made a lot of correct calls.
Here are just a few that catapulted them past the reviled rival Red Sox into a Division Series matchup that by all rights should decide the American League:
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They came into significant cash after Juan Soto left for the record $765M, 15-year Mets deal, and Fried was the biggest expenditure and beneficiary. Many teams stay away from lengthy pitcher deals, and this was super long.
But Fried looks worth the pay today after shutting down the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium, holding them to one run over six innings in the Yankees’ wild-card series-clinching 9-2 victory.
