Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.
Try it freeWhile the ball trickled away from Ben Rice at first base, proving a pristine opportunity for the Red Sox to take the lead in the seventh inning Tuesday, Nate Eaton had already started moving away from home plate.
What could have been a generous gift for Boston instead left Red Sox fans wondering why the speedy outfielder had not scored the potential go-ahead run.
And when Boston ultimately left the bases loaded that inning, leaving one run off the board in an eventual one-run loss, it provided the potential “What if” moment of the series.
“Obviously, it was a big play. We didn’t score,” Eaton said after Boston’s 4-3 loss in Game 2. “I obviously couldn’t see it. As I’m getting to third, I’m told to stop and then I couldn’t see how far the ball was away when it got by Rice.’
Thursday’s Game 3 will ultimately dictate whether Eaton’s play is one that Red Sox fans forever remember for the wrong reasons since it potentially could have ended the Yankees’ season.
Here's a different angle of Nate Eaton staying put at third base on this ground ball https://t.co/m9teNjWKKH pic.twitter.com/iYJrZTEwMO
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) October 2, 2025
The Red Sox also gave the Yankees a free run on a Jarren Duran dropped ball in the fifth inning.
Boston had two on with two outs in a 3-3 game in the seventh when Masataka Yoshida hit a grounder up the middle that Jazz Chisholm dove to stop.
Chisholm opted to throw to first rather than eat the ball, and Rice could not scoop the throw.
Eaton ran to third on the play and Boston third base coach Kyle Hudson pointed to the bag while the right fielder rounded the base.
He had halted his progress and actually took a step back to the bag while Rice attempted to the field the ball, but opted against trying to force a play at the plate.
One notable factor during the hecticness is that Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon did not cover the bag during the sequence, which meant Eaton did not need to worry about a back-throw.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora seemingly defended Eaton when asked postgame about his take on the ESPN broadcast crew’s stance that Eaton should have scored.
“That’s their opinion. I think it’s easy from up there to say that he should have — could have scored,” Cora said. “You know, they are not down there with us.”
The Red Sox still had the bases loaded after the play, but Trevor Story ran into bad luck when he hit a 102.3-mph rocket 393 feet to center field with a .660 expect batting average that died short of the wall.
Yankees reliever Fernando Cruz celebrated triumphantly after escaping the jam, which also included Ceddanne Rafaela failing to get down a bunt with two on and no outs.
Making matters worse for the Red Sox, the Yankees plated the game-winning run thanks to the blazing speed of Chisholm who scored on Austin Wells’ two-out RBI single to right in the eighth.
Chisholm ultimately won the game with both his bat and glove since he prevented Eaton from scoring without any hesitation by keeping Yoshida’s ball in the infield.
“He saved two runs. Because J.D. scored on that one,” Cora said. “I mean, he hit it. It went through and he dove for it.”