Masataka Yoshida had already been the Boston Red Sox’s hero in the Wild Card series, and he entered Game 2 looking to do it again.

With Jarren Duran and Nate Eaton on first and second base, respectively, in the seventh inning, Yoshida took the plate against Fernando Cruz with two outs. Yoshida knocked a ground ball to the middle infield and Jazz Chisholm Jr. dove to save it before it hit grass. Chisholm tossed the ball to Ben Rice at first base, who botched the out.

The ball was on the ground as Yoshida dove into first base. Eaton reached third base with plenty of time to score, and he was even waved home by first base coach José Flores. But Eaton didn’t run, and remained at third base for Trevor Story.

Story flied out, and Boston squandered its best opportunity to break the 3-3 tie. The following half inning, Chisholm scored from first base off an Austin Wells single to give the Yankees the lead, and eventually the 4-3 win.

Red Sox’s decision not to send Nate Eaton home in the seveth inning cost them against Yankees

In the postgame interview, reporters asked Red Sox manager Alex Cora about the decision not to send Eaton home, and referenced the ESPN broadcast’s insistence that he could’ve scored. His answer did not satisfy the Red Sox fans listening.

“I think it’s easy from up there to say that he could’ve scored. You know, they’re not down there with us,” Cora said.

After the game, Eaton told reporters that third base coach Kyle Hudson initially told him to hold at third base. Eaton also mentioned that it was hard to see the ball from his vantage point, and Hudson likely had no idea where it was relative to the first baseman Rice.

Eaton carries elite speed and is the epitome of a threat on the base paths. His 98th percentile speed even beats Jarren Duran. Had Eaton run and been tagged out, it would’ve ended the inning with a potential rally on the line — not sending Eaton allowed Trevor Story to come to the plate with the bases loaded, and he already had two hits and three RBI on the night.

But winning teams take risks, and the Red Sox had no business holding Eaton there. After burning through nearly the entire bullpen in hopes of getting out of the Wild Card series in two games, Boston should’ve pulled out all the stops to get the job done, including sending their fastest player on a botched infield play.

Now, the Red Sox will turn to 23-year-old Connelly Early to start Game 3, a winner-take-all matchup. The offense will need to show out and the coaching staff will need to make better calls for Boston to beat New York and advance to the next round.

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