Baseball is a game of inches, and in the playoffs, teams on the wrong end of close plays often end up seeing their seasons come to a crashing halt.

Red Sox rookie Connelly Early fared admirably in Thursday’s Game 3, but his teammates fell short in a pivotal fourth inning.

Four consecutive close plays that didn’t go Boston’s way led to four Yankees runs in the frame to spearhead an eventual 4-0 victory. New York was the better team, and deserved to advance, but the Red Sox didn’t do themselves any favors.

It started with a bloop double from Cody Bellinger that hit off Ceddanne Rafaela’s glove and fell to the ground. It wasn’t as egregious as Jarren Duran’s misplay the night prior, but it was also a catchable ball if he had taken a more strategic route.

Bellinger's pop up finds grass! He

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