Following the disheartening and costly 16-1 loss to the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela was still candid in his criticism of the umpires and MLB over the controversial call in the fifth inning that changed the tide of the crucial game in the American League Wild Card race.
“I didn’t even have to watch it, I know I made the catch,” Rafaela admitted to media after the game, via NESN. “I know when a ball drops and a ball doesn’t drop. I know I made the catch. They couldn’t overturn it, out of out control, but I was really mad at the moment. I really wanted to help my pitcher there and I feel that changed the whole game.”
Tied at zero in the bottom of the fifth inning in the final regular-season matchup between AL East rivals, the Red Sox and Yankees, Rafaela dove at a fly ball off Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s bat. Upon landing, there was no clear evidence of whether the ball touched the turf or not.
Thus, the original call on the field of no catch was upheld. Had it been called a flyout on Chisholm Jr., Rafaela would’ve completed a double play. Instead, the runners set up shop at first and second base and would go on to score on a two-run single courtesy of Paul Goldschmidt.
Replay review upheld the call that Ceddanne Rafaela dropped this ball. Both runners on base would score two batters later pic.twitter.com/VZBR0n4ycf
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 30, 2026
Game-changing call
Clearly, the controversial play at Yankee Stadium changed the course of the game. Rafaela and Boston would never move on and would end up suffering a whopping 16-1 loss, which saw infielder Andruw Monasterio take the mound and allow two home runs and five runs. All in all, it was an awful ending to the team’s stay in New York.
If Red Sox manager Chad Tracy had revealed the price of bringing Trevor Story and Roman Anthony back, the cost of this defeat may be indescribable. Boston fell 3-1 in a crucial series, but it has also lost any tiebreaker advantage against its divisional rival, the Yankees. Not only was the call a game-changer, but it may have been decisive in determining how the American League playoff bracket looks.
NY Yankees secure tiebreaker over Red Sox
New York now holds a four-game lead over Boston for the top Wild Card spot in the American League. Not only that, but more importantly, the Bronx Bombers have secured the tiebreaker thanks to their 7-6 head-to-head record against Boston in 2026.
As things stand, the Yankees and Red Sox are set to meet in the Wild Card Series (No. 4 vs. No. 5). Because of the tiebreaker between them, New York would host all three games of that series even if they finish with the same record. Boston’s only shot at hosting the Wild Card Series is if it finishes with a better record than New York.
There are three possible outcomes, and two of them favor the Yankees, largely because of the 16-1 rag-dolling, which was kickstarted by a call that still doesn’t feel right with the BoSox.
