Baseball is a game of inches, and in the playoffs, teams on the wrong end of close plays often end up seeing their seasons come to a crashing halt.
Red Sox rookie Connelly Early fared admirably in Thursday’s Game 3, but his teammates fell short in a pivotal fourth inning.
Four consecutive close plays that didn’t go Boston’s way led to four Yankees runs in the frame to spearhead an eventual 4-0 victory. New York was the better team, and deserved to advance, but the Red Sox didn’t do themselves any favors.
It started with a bloop double from Cody Bellinger that hit off Ceddanne Rafaela’s glove and fell to the ground.