In the heat of the AL Wild Card series, Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran owned up to a pivotal error that swung momentum toward the New York Yankees on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium. With the score knotted at 2-2 in the bottom of the fifth, Yankees' Trent Grisham stood at second base, two outs on the board, and Aaron Judge stepping up against reliever Justin Slaten. What followed was a liner to left field that Duran charged in on—only to stumble awkwardly, the ball clipping the heel of his glove and dropping to the grass. Grisham crossed home easily, putting the Yankees ahead 3-2 in a game they ultimately won to push Boston to the brink.
Duran didn't mince words afterward. "One hundred percent on me," he said, his voice carrying the weight of a postseason misplay that could haunt the Red Sox in this do-or-die matchup. Indeed, the error came at a brutal moment, amplifying the tension in a rivalry that's always simmered with intensity. Judge, ever the imposing figure at the plate, capitalized without even needing a hit—his liner doing the damage indirectly. But this wasn't just any at-bat; it highlighted Duran's aggressive style, which has powered Boston's lineup all season but now exposed a vulnerability under the lights.
Moreover, the Red Sox, clinging to their wild card hopes, now face elimination in Game 3 on Thursday. Duran's regular-season heroics—think his 21 home runs and league-leading stolen bases—had masked such lapses, yet here, in October, precision matters most. The Yankees, buoyed by Judge's quiet menace, smelled blood. However, Boston's resilience can't be overlooked; they've clawed back from worse. Still, that dropped ball lingers, a reminder of how fine the line is between triumph and heartbreak in these short series.
Yet, as the teams regroup, one wonders if this slip will define Duran's young career or fuel a Red Sox comeback.