Fenway Park didn’t just host a baseball game Saturday night; it staged a test of nerve. The Fenway crowd roared, heckled, and lived on every pitch. The Green Monster loomed like a dare, almost taunting hitters to test it. For the Yankees, holding onto a 1½-game advantage over Baltimore, the message was crystal clear. Win and hold the line, or stumble and give the Orioles a chance to crash the race wide open.

Max Fried had given them 5 and a half innings of grind-it-out baseball, limiting Boston to two runs despite traffic on the bases. But when the bullpen phone rang, and Luke Weaver began jogging to the mound, the night’s tension spiked. Fenway is famous for swallowing relievers whole when the crowd smells blood, and the Red Sox were within striking distance. This was exactly the kind of high-pressure situation the Yankees had anticipated when they transformed Weaver into a multi-inning bridge option.

“I’ve gone through some stuff during the season, but there’s moment by moment, and they’re not in huge dosages,” he said. “As you come down the stretch, all those moments collect differently because of the environment, the timing, and the stretch of where we’re going and heading to.” His words weren’t just a cliche; they captured the pressure cooker of September at Fenway. The mound becomes smaller, the crowd louder, and the margin for error vanishes.

This wasn’t just a strong night for Weaver; it was part of a larger trend. The Yankees’ bullpen has been elite this month, posting a 2.64 ERA in September, best in the American League. Weaver has been at the heart of that surge, allowing just one earned run over his last eight appearances (0.75 ERA) and holding opponents to a .188 batting average.

Saturday night wasn’t just about holding a lead at Fenway; it was about proving they could handle the grind that comes with chasing a division title into the season’s final weeks. If Weaver continues to deliver this kind of steady presence, New York won’t just reach October; they’ll arrive with a pitching staff that feels built to go the distance.

Yankees find momentum at the right time

The Yankees have found their rhythm at just the right moment, putting together a series of victories that have sparked their AL East campaign and renewed energy in the clubhouse. That energy hasn’t gone unnoticed on the field, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. has been the most visible spark for the Yankees’ recent push. “I feel like any team that thinks they’re better than us, they should know that when we step on the field, we’re coming with relentlessness and we’re coming to step on necks,” he said. “We’re not here to play around. We’re going to do the job and get the job done.” Chisholm is leading by example, showing that confidence and action go hand in hand.

He’s delivered in a big way this weekend. On Friday, Chisholm flashed his speed and savvy, going 2-for-4 and swiping two bases. Then Saturday, he took things up a notch, going 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs, leaving fans buzzing and the Yankees’ momentum surging. That performance puts him within one home run of joining the Yankees’ exclusive 30/30 club. A feat only two players have ever reached, with Alfonso Soriano the last back in 2003. It’s Chisholm’s mix of speed, raw power, and clutch hitting that’s breathed life into a team that had been hunting for consistency all season.

The challenges aren’t over. Sunday’s series finale at Fenway against AL Cy Young contender Garrett Crochet will close out a grueling four-team stretch. After that, the Yankees finish the regular season with three games against the Twins, three against the White Sox, and seven against the Orioles. Every remaining game matters, and with the team riding a 13-5 stretch since August 24, Chisholm’s leadership and production are exactly what New York needs to carry momentum into October.