Aaron Boone’s message to ‘badass’ Yankees as they head to ALDS

Aaron Boone was ready to celebrate this wild-card series win — and extol the play of his team.

The Yankees beat the Red Sox, 4-0, in a winner-take-all Game 3 over the Red Sox in The Bronx on Thursday night, and in the revelry inside the clubhouse at Yankee Stadium afterward, the New York skipper let it be known how proud he was.

“You guys have played all the second half with backs against the wall,” Boone said. “Nothing changed in this series, and you answered the freaking bell every single time. We are battle-tested, we are badass. Let’s go up north and continue the business. Congratulations on this next stop. Let’s go, baby!”

The Bombers cheered their manager, and the second champagne party of the season began in earnest.

The Yankees became the first team since MLB re-implemented the three-game wild-card round in 2022 to lose Game 1 and end up winning the series.

To get over the finish line, the Yankees relied on Cam Schlittler, who threw a career-high eight innings with 12 strikeouts — the first time he had that many punchouts in his entire professional career, minor league appearances included.

The Yankees, held scoreless, finally broke through with a four-run fourth inning when Amed Rosario and Anthony Volpe delivered run-scoring singles before the Bombers added two more on a fielding error from Red Sox first baseman Nathaniel Lowe.

The next test is another AL East foe in the Blue Jays, who held the tiebreaker in the division after Toronto and the Yankees both finished with 94 wins.

The two teams will play on Saturday afternoon at Rogers Centre.