The New York Yankees beat the Oakland Athletics 7-2 in the AL Wild Card Game on October 3, 2018, at Yankee Stadium. Aaron Judge hit a two-run homer in the first inning, Luis Severino threw four-plus scoreless innings, and Giancarlo Stanton homered in the eighth to send the Yankees to an ALDS date with Boston.
Oakland's plan was to keep the Yankees guessing. It didn't survive the second batter.
A Do-Over for Sevy
A year earlier, in this exact game, Luis Severino got one out against the Twins and handed the ball to the pen down 3-0. The Yankees won that night anyway, but nobody forgot how it started.
And his 2018 second half hadn't exactly calmed anyone's nerves. He'd been brilliant early, then spent the last few months getting hit around. Aaron Boone gave him the ball anyway. (Plenty of people had opinions about that. I was one of them.)
The stakes were silly, too. The 2018 Yankees won 100 games, the A's won 97, and one of them was going home after a single night because Boston had won 108.
Two Batters
Bob Melvin didn't start a starter. He sent out Liam Hendriks as an opener and planned to piece the night together with his bullpen.
Hendriks walked Andrew McCutchen. Then Aaron Judge took a 2-1 fastball at 96.4 mph and hit it over the left-field wall at 116.1 mph. It went 427 feet and it was the hardest-hit postseason homer Statcast had ever tracked.
2-0, nobody out. So much for the opener.
Sevy Brings It
This time Severino didn't blink. He struck out five of the first seven A's he faced and didn't give up a hit through four innings. He did walk four, which kept things more interesting than they needed to be, and the fourth ended with the bases loaded and Marcus Semien staring at a 99.6-mph fastball for strike three. Severino screamed at the sky on his way off the mound.
Sevy set the tone and came out on a mission.
The fifth got dicey. Jonathan Lucroy lined a single to left to break up the no-hitter, the next guy singled too, and Boone went to the pen with two on, nobody out, and a two-run lead.
Dellin Shuts the Door
That's where Dellin Betances won the game. Matt Chapman lined out to Judge. Jed Lowrie flew out to Aaron Hicks in center. Khris Davis, who'd led the majors with 48 homers, struck out swinging.
Betances came back out and threw a perfect sixth. Two innings, six up, six down, three strikeouts. It's the most underrated part of the night, and I'll die on that hill.
The Sixth
Melvin went to Fernando Rodney in the bottom half, and Rodney didn't get anyone out. Judge doubled, Hicks doubled him home, 3-0.
Blake Treinen, Oakland's All-Star closer, came in to stop it. Giancarlo Stanton walked and stole second (yes, Stanton, in his first career playoff game), and Luke Voit banged one off the right-field wall for a two-run triple. It was the first triple of Voit's career. He picked a good night for it. Didi Gregorius added a sac fly, and it was 6-0.
The Rest of the Pen
David Robertson went 1-2-3 in the seventh, with Adeiny Hechavarria (in at third for defense) leaping to rob Semien of extra bases. Zach Britton gave up a leadoff single to Matt Chapman in the eighth and, after a force out, a two-run homer to Davis. 6-2. Briefly annoying.
Stanton led off the bottom of the eighth and crushed a 1-2 pitch from Treinen 443 feet at 117.4 mph. That broke the postseason exit-velo record Judge had set about seven innings earlier. (These two were apparently competing with each other, not the A's.)
Aroldis Chapman gave up a single to Semien in the ninth, struck out the next two, and got the other Chapman to ground out to first. 7-2. Done.
What Came Next
The win sent the Yankees to Fenway, and you know how that ALDS went. Judge kept hitting, homering in each of the first two games, and Severino's Game 3 wiped out most of the goodwill he'd built here.
But for one night in October, the Severino questions had an answer, and the A's bullpen plan had a problem named Judge.
| Final Score | Yankees 7, Athletics 2 |
| Date / Site | Oct. 3, 2018, Yankee Stadium |
| Attendance | 49,620 |
| Luis Severino | 4+ IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 7 K |
| Dellin Betances (W) | 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 K |
| Liam Hendriks (L) | 1 IP, 1 H, 2 R |
| Aaron Judge | 2-run HR (116.1 mph, 427 ft), double |
| Giancarlo Stanton | Solo HR (117.4 mph, 443 ft), walk, SB |
| Luke Voit | 2-run triple (first career triple) |
| Oakland Home Run | Khris Davis (2-run, off Britton) |
Judge Greets the Opener
Liam Hendriks walks Andrew McCutchen, and Aaron Judge hits a two-run homer to left on a 2-1 fastball. Yankees 2, A's 0.
Severino's Roar
With the bases loaded, Severino strikes out Marcus Semien on a 99.6-mph fastball. Oakland still doesn't have a hit.
Betances Escapes
The first two A's single and Severino's night is over. Dellin Betances retires Matt Chapman, Jed Lowrie and Khris Davis, then throws a perfect sixth.
Four-Run Sixth
Judge and Hicks double off Fernando Rodney, Luke Voit hits a two-run triple off Blake Treinen, and Didi Gregorius adds a sac fly. 6-0.
Davis Answers, Stanton Answers Back
Khris Davis hits a two-run homer off Zach Britton. Giancarlo Stanton leads off the bottom half with a 443-foot homer off Treinen. 7-2.
Chapman Closes
Aroldis Chapman strikes out two and gets Matt Chapman to ground out to end it. The Yankees advance to face Boston.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the 2018 AL Wild Card Game?
The Yankees beat the Oakland Athletics 7-2 on October 3, 2018, at Yankee Stadium, then advanced to face the Boston Red Sox in the ALDS.
How did Luis Severino pitch in the 2018 Wild Card Game?
Severino threw four-plus scoreless innings, allowing two hits and four walks with seven strikeouts. He didn't allow a hit until Jonathan Lucroy singled to open the fifth. Dellin Betances relieved him and got the win.
Who hit home runs in the 2018 AL Wild Card Game?
Aaron Judge hit a two-run homer off Liam Hendriks in the first inning and Giancarlo Stanton hit a solo homer off Blake Treinen in the eighth. Khris Davis hit a two-run homer off Zach Britton for Oakland.
Why did the A's start Liam Hendriks in the Wild Card Game?
Bob Melvin used Hendriks as an opener, planning a bullpen game. Hendriks walked Andrew McCutchen and gave up Judge's two-run homer, and the Yankees led 2-0 before making an out.