Red Sox news: Isiah Kiner-Falefa delivers hard truth on losing to Yankees

Isiah Kiner-Falefa, a versatile player for the Boston Red Sox, delivered a blunt assessment of the team's recent loss to the New York Yankees. Speaking after the 9-2 defeat in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series, Kiner-Falefa described his team's performance as "uncompetitive" and lamented their "boat-race" against the Yankees. The Red Sox's lackluster offensive display was the clear story, as they hit .117 as a team over 18 innings and were outscored 18-2 in the series.

Fifteen of the Yankees' runs were a direct result of Boston's bullpen struggles. The Red Sox's offensive slump became evident in September, as they finished the month last in the majors with a .219 batting average and ranked poorly in on-base percentage and slugging. Kiner-Falefa, who previously played for the Yankees, witnessed this decline firsthand and expressed the Red Sox's disappointment in losing to the same team in consecutive October endings.

The Yankees, who now advance to face the top-seeded Rays in the Division Series starting Saturday, have a favorable history in this series, having won the largest postseason shutout in 1960.