The New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 9-0 in Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series.
Everyone already knows about Cam Schlittler's ties to Boston and how big of an impact he had on the game on Tuesday. However, there was a player for the Yankees with ties directly to the Red Sox who also made an impact in Game 1. John Schreiber threw a perfect ninth inning on Tuesday to finish off the game for the Yankees.
Schreiber spent three seasons with the Boston Red Sox organization and appeared in 111 games for the team. In 2021, he spent most of the season in Triple-A, making eight starts, but pitching in 33 games in all. He pitched in just one big league game that season.
In 2022 and 2023, Schreiber had a 2.90 ERA for the Red Sox and recorded two saves. He also made two starts. On Tuesday, he was on the mound to put the finishing touches on a dominant win.
One inning in a blowout loss is not really a big deal in the box score. However, in a short series like this, each day leads directly into the next, and a scoreless, stress-free ninth inning kept Aaron Boone from having to use some of his higher leverage arms.
If Schreiber had run into trouble, Boone may have gone to Bednar to seal the win. Instead, he has Bednar and his other elite relievers rested and ready for Wednesday.