Hicks may be healthy for Game 3
BOSTON — Aaron Hicks didn’t play in Saturday’s 6-2 win over the Red Sox in Game 2 of the ALDS, as the Yankees evened the series at Fenway Park.
Manager Aaron Boone opted to hold the center fielder out even after an MRI exam showed his right hamstring was OK after Hicks left Friday’s Game 1 with tightness in the area.
After the Game 2 victory, Hicks said he expected to be able to start Monday in The Bronx in Game 3, but the Yankees hardly missed him against their arch rivals.
That’s because Hicks’ replacement in center, Brett Gardner, again showed his value — especially in October — with a solid game hitting ninth.
Gardner reached base twice and worked the count full in three of his four plate appearances. In the other at-bat, he got it to 3-1, although he popped to short to strand two runners in the sixth.
But it was Gardner’s second-inning battle against Boston starter David Price that really stood out.
After Price allowed a leadoff homer to Gary Sanchez that gave the Yankees a 2-0 lead, the lefty retired the next two batters before he looked at a close pitch at 2-2 that was called a ball and Gardner eventually walked to extend the inning.
Andrew McCutchen then drilled an RBI single off the Green Monster that likely would have been a three-run homer elsewhere and Price’s night was over.
Gardner also made several solid defensive plays in center, as he looks to finish a disappointing season on a good note with a productive postseason.
“Once you’re around a little bit, you don’t know how many opportunities you’re going to get at this,’’ Gardner said of the playoffs. “We’ve got a really, really talented team. We didn’t have the regular season we wanted. We would’ve rather won the division. But the position we’re in now, it really doesn’t matter. The opportunity to win, that’s what it’s all about.”
As for Hicks, he did drills during batting practice before the game, but ultimately didn’t start. He missed three games in the final week of the regular season with tightness in his left hamstring. He returned for the final three regular-season games against the Red Sox at Fenway and went 2-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs in the first game.