#yankees

#yankees

Garrett Crochet retired 17 consecutive batters in a sparkling pitching performance, and pinch-hitter Masataka Yoshida lined a two-run single off reliever Luke Weaver that sent the Boston Red Sox past the New York Yankees 3-1 on Tuesday night in their AL Wild Card Series opener. New York loaded the bases with nobody out in the ninth inning, but All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman worked out of the jam against his former team.

Possible clinches in the AL: The Yankees and Mariners are all but guaranteed a playoff spot, and today's games could remove the "all but" qualifier from that phrase. If the Yankees beat the White Sox, they'll clinch a playoff spot for themselves and also open the door for the Mariners to clinch a spot with a win over the Rockies later in the evening.

And that is: who between Cam Schlittler, a rookie who has dazzled with an electric fastball since taking over for the injured Clarke Schmidt in the rotation in early July, and Luis Gil, the AL Rookie of the Year who features plenty of electricity of his own in his fastball, starts in the third game of whatever playoff series the Yankees find themselves in next week.

Anthony Volpe's underwhelming season has made the shortstop a topic of controversy in the Bronx, and more attention was generated this week when it was revealed that Volpe has been playing with a small tear in his left shoulder labrum since May 3. Trying to play through this shoulder problem has clearly impacted Volpe's performance - not only has he hit .197/.248/.378 in 418 plate appearances since suffering the injury, Volpe's formerly excellent defense has drastically fallen off.

The Yankees are adding another veteran bat to the mix ahead of their crucial weekend set with the Blue Jays. Austin Slater has officially been reinstated from the injured list. Slater has been sidelined since suffering a hamstring strain on August 4 against the Texas Rangers. His initial timeline called for a 4-to-6 week recovery. The 32-year-old was able to work his way into five minor league rehab games over the past week, and now he's officially been deemed ready to make his return.

1914 - George Davis of the Boston Braves pitched a 7-0 no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies in the second game of a doubleheader. Davis' no-hitter was the first thrown at Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox. 1922 - Baby Doll Jacobson hit three triples to lead the St. Louis Browns to a 16-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers.