NEW YORK – Pitching in the shadow of dominant closer Aroldis Chapman all season, ace setup man Garrett Whitlock has been tremendous in his own right.

But with a chance to help his team sweep the Yankees in Game 2 of this AL Wild Card Series, Whitlock faltered in the bottom of the eighth inning, and the Red Sox took a 4-3 loss that forced a decisive Game 3 between the rivals on Thursday night.

Did you expect anything less?

Coming back out after a scoreless seventh, Whitlock retired the first two batters in the eighth. But the momentum changed after a walk to Jazz Chisholm Jr. Austin Wells followed by belting one into the corner in right for an RBI single that snapped a tie.

Though his team was in the driver’s seat entering Game 2 , Red Sox manager Alex Cora maintained his typical

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