After a brilliant Game 1 performance by Garrett Crochet (and subsequent escape act by Aroldis Chapman), the Boston Red Sox fell flat in the American League Wild Card, ceding a series lead as they watched the New York Yankees celebrate another postseason triumph.
As feared without rookie sensation Roman Anthony, the offense failed to show up when it mattered most, scoring just three runs apiece in Games 1 and 2 before getting shut out by rookie Cam Schlittler in Game 3.
Most disturbingly, Boston's power was nowhere to be found in the three-game series, even in the little-league-like dimensions of Yankee Stadium. Trevor Story hit the only Red Sox home run of the series, an ultimately-fruitless solo shot in Game 2 off Carlos Rodón.
Unfortunately, that was just a continuation of a frustrating trend for a Boston lineup that experienced a serious power outage in the second half.
The Red Sox were 27th in homers in the second half after being 10th in the first half. They have just one this postseason.
— Christopher Smith (@SmittyOnMLB) October 3, 2025
Can't win in the postseason in today's game if you don't hit home runs.
Red Sox must address power concerns in lineup over offseason
It's really easy to lament the loss of Rafael Devers right now. He was a Yankee killer, a high-velocity assassin, and just a really good left-handed power bat to have in the middle of the lineup. It sure would've been nice to have those things present in the final two games of this series, but reality is that he's going to be plying his trade in San Francisco for the foreseeable future. What with the Dustin May deal flopping on its face (don't forget, the Sox flipped James Tibbs III from the Devers deal to acquire him), it's going to take a long time before the Devers deal is digestible, but the front office can't take it back now even if it wanted to.
Boston need to move forward with a clear goal in mind: adding power to the lineup. Luckily, some of that will come from in-house additions. Healthy returns from Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer should immediately introduce a bit more pop to the top and bottom of the lineup, and full-time gigs in the big leagues for Kristian Campbell and Jhostynxon Garcia will only further infuse the order with over-the-fence potential.
Still, only two hitters on the team this year exceeded 20 home runs (Trevor Story and Wilyer Abreu). The guy who ranked third (Alex Bregman, 18) looks exceedingly likely to leave in free agency. There's just not enough power in this lineup to hang with the Yankees (274 home runs, first in MLB) and Seattle Mariners (238, third) in the American League.
It'll be up to Craig Breslow to add an influx of home run hitters this offseason. Besides a No. 2 starting pitcher, there's arguably no bigger need on this roster right now.