​NEW YORK — Austin Wells’ first postseason at-bat of the year was a tough lefty-vs.-lefty battle in a big spot, one that the Yankees catcher had mostly failed all season.Red Sox rookie Payton Tolle was on the mound with two runners on and two outs in the second inning. Despite hitting .122 in 99 regular-season plate appearances against left-handed pitching this season, Wells went to the plate confident.“The time I faced Tolle early in April, I felt like I saw him pretty well, so I was looking forward to facing him again,” Wells said. Wells laid off a cutter that missed outside for ball one, then got a sinker that hung over the middle of the plate, middle-in. The mistake pitch was barreled up for a hard single to right field that was 102.2 mph off the bat.George Lombard Jr. scored from second base, and the Yankees had an early lead on their way to a 9-0 win over the Red Sox that has them halfway home to an AL Wild Card Series sweep.While designated hitter Ben Rice provided the thunder and winning pitcher Cam Schlittler brought the lightning with epic performances, Wells deserved an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, going 2-for-3 with two hits off lefties, plus a sacrifice fly for a two-RBI evening.“That fired me up,” Wells said during a lengthy post-game talk with NJ.com that broke up close to midnight.This season has included some of the best and worst days of Wells’ life. Often, the best and worst have spilled into the same day.Wells, 27, felt like he was living a Groundhog Day life in the first half of the season. Before he escaped his version of life in Punxsutawney and got his mind and body right, every day seemed the same.In the first half of the year, Wells batted .155/.247/.258 in 220 plate appearances (60 games). It’s easy to feel like you’re letting everyone down when you walk to the plate and see a putrid batting average next to your photo on the jumbotron.Mornings at his Connecticut home during Yankees homestands always were an escape. When his baby daughter Lucy was awake and out of her crib, it was fun times. But by early afternoon, it was time to drive into the Bronx for more yin and yang. While his catching helped the Yankees run off a bunch of wins, other parts of his game brought misery.Yankees fans turned on him, but that did not hurt as much as the foul balls to the head. When the foul balls to his head started to occur frequently, the headaches started.While Wells was getting a couple of chances a week to stay in the lineup, his average and production sunk to the worst among starting catchers.“I’m biased,” said Anthony Volpe, the Yankees’ second baseman and Wells’ friend. “I think he’s an incredible hitter. I think he was just hurt. I’m not a trainer or a doctor, but I feel like if I took that many hits to the head and then tried to do one of the hardest things in sports, that would be pretty tough.”By early June, the Yankees pulled the plug and placed Wells on the injured list with cervical h