Austin Wells joins familiar face in Yankees playoff history following go-ahead hit

Justin Backer

Austin Wells joins familiar face in Yankees playoff history following go-ahead hit  image

The New York Yankees avoided elimination by taking down the Boston Red Sox by a score of 4-3 to force a decisive Game 3 in the American League Wild Card series.

Austin Wells delivered the clutch go-ahead single in the bottom of the eighth inning that scored Jazz Chisholm Jr. from first base. In the process, Wells joined a familiar face in Yankees history.

Per New York Yankees Stats on X, Wells’ single is the first go-ahead hit in the 8th inning or later of a postseason game when facing elimination since Aaron Boone's walk-off HR in 2003 ALCS Game 7 — which also came against the Red Sox. Now the manager of the Yankees, Boone himself watched it unfold from the first step of the dugout.

After going 0-3 with two strikeouts in Game 1, Wells bounced back in a huge way going 2-3 and becoming the hero in Game 2. He’ll look to carry this momentum into Game 3 and help the Yankees advance to the ALDS. 

The Yankees now have the upper hand in the series as they look to close out the Red Sox on Thursday. Should they advance, they’ll meet up with another division rival in the form of the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALDS. 

Justin Backer

Justin Backer is a freelance writer for The Sporting News. A graduate of Florida Atlantic University, Justin began his sports writing career in 2023 and has previously written for Empire Sports Media and currently covers FAU Athletics for The Palm Beach Post.