NEW YORK — When Alex Bregman and Trevor Story took the field at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday for Game 1 of the AL Wild Card series, neither was anywhere close to 100%.
Not due to injury or a season’s worth of wear and tear, but because of a viral illness that has been working its way through the Red Sox family over the past few days.
Bregman came down ill first and traveled to New York separate from the rest of the team in order to avoid getting his teammates sick. He arrived shortly before first pitch on Tuesday, by which point he was feeling well enough to play.
“(Feeling) a lot better today than yesterday, for sure,” Bregman said following Tuesday’s 3-1 win. “I feel like every day has been better. Just trying to kick this virus and keep going.”
Others around the team have since gotten sick, including Story and several players’ family members, but the bug hasn’t kept anyone from taking the field. Like Bregman, Story played through the illness on Tuesday and enjoyed a productive evening, going 2 for 5 with a run scored while Bregman went 2 for 4 with an RBI.
“Yeah, feeling much better. The last two days were no good,” Story said prior to first pitch on Wednesday. “Got what Bregy had. No fun. But obviously a lot more energy today. So that’s nice, nice to say that and be able to go through kind of a full pregame and more of a regular routine.”
Both Bregman and Story were back in the lineup again for Game 2 on Wednesday.
Extra innings
Tuesday night Aroldis Chapman committed a mound disengagement violation when he attempted to pick off Anthony Volpe at first base three times in one at bat during the eighth inning. Asked if that was intentional, Cora said Chapman was genuinely trying to pick Volpe off but that it didn’t work out. It was Boston’s first disengagement violation of the season, but Chapman drew an inning-ending flyout to end the threat right afterwards anyway. … Cora said rookie left-hander Connelly Early is the top candidate to start Boston’s next playoff game, whether it’s Game 3 against the Yankees on Thursday or Game 1 of the ALDS against the Blue Jays on Saturday.
