The Yankees and Red Sox are headed back into October together, with Yankee Stadium set to host Tuesday’s opener of a best-of-three American League Wild Card Series. New York won seven of the 13 regular-season meetings, but Boston’s four-game Fenway Park sweep in late June helped rescue a season that had looked lost. The winner moves on to Tropicana Field to meet the Rays.
For the Yankees, it is another chance to turn a strong rotation into a postseason run after missing their division objective. Gerrit Cole said there remains disappointment about that unfinished work, but he also described the club as eager for an opportunity to create something meaningful in October. The rivalry supplies its own noise, of course, and these clubs have now met seven times in the postseason since 1999. They have split the previous six series.
Last October, Cam Schlittler handled Boston in the Bronx with eight scoreless innings and 12 strikeouts, sending New York through to the Division Series. The Massachusetts native has since built a 14-6, 1.95 ERA campaign that has made him a leading American League Cy Young Award candidate. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, and he has never hidden his appetite for this matchup or for the social-media chatter that can accompany it.
A rotation question in each clubhouse
Boston manager Chad Tracy has not named his Game 1 starter, choosing between veteran right-hander Sonny Gray and rookie lefty Payton Tolle. Gray, 36, went 18-5 with a 2.72 ERA in his first Boston season and led the club with 20 quality starts. He has history with the Yankees, one of his former teams, though it was the stop in his career where he had the least success.
Tolle, 23, finished 9-6 with a 3.03 ERA and quickly became a favorite in Boston. The left-hander can reach 98 mph, and the Red Sox have shown no concern about asking him to pitch in the charged setting of Yankee Stadium. Whichever pitcher does not work Game 1 is the likely Game 2 option, while left-hander Ranger Suárez stands as the clear choice should the series reach a third game. Suárez went 4-1 with a 1.48 ERA in 11 postseason appearances with Philadelphia, including eight starts, relying more on command than overpowering velocity.
New York has its own decision at the top. Max Fried, 5-5 with a 2.80 ERA, is under serious consideration for the opener despite Schlittler’s Cy Young-level season. Fried has faced Boston twice this year, including eight scoreless innings at Fenway Park on April 22. His latest outing came Sept. 22 against Tampa Bay, when he gave up four runs in 6 2/3 innings.
Cole, 10-9 with a 3.61 ERA, or Carlos Rodón, 7-3 with a 2.67 ERA, is expected to line up for a possible Game 3. Aaron Boone has indicated that Cole should start during the Wild Card round, which could leave Rodón positioned for a potential Division Series opener while also available in relief if needed.
Tracy took over for Alex Cora on April 25 and will manage his first playoff game in the sport’s most familiar rivalry. Boston was 15 1/2 games out in the division as late as June 19, but its four-game sweep of the Yankees from June 25-28 began a turnaround. The Red Sox went 32-5 from June 25 through Aug. 8, a stretch that showed what their offense can do when the lineup is whole and producing.
Tracy said Red Sox-Yankees games naturally carry extra weight because of the history, but he is trying to keep the assignment simple: prepare his club for the series rather than let the occasion become bigger than the baseball.
Lineup health and late-inning options
Boston’s likely lineup against a right-hander has Roman Anthony at designated hitter, followed by center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela, right fielder Wilyer Abreu, first baseman Willson Contreras, catcher Adley Rutschman, third baseman Caleb Durbin, left fielder Jarren Duran, shortstop Trevor Story and second baseman Nick Sogard. Contreras hit 27 homers in 129 games, but his availability is uncertain after a Sept. 17 blow to the area between his right ring finger and pinkie. He is attempting to get game at-bats before the regular season closes to prove he is ready.
Against a left-handed Yankees starter, Jahmai Jones is expected to serve as Boston’s DH, with Duran likely sitting. The Red Sox have struggled in September with runners in scoring position, though injuries and absences have repeatedly taken regular lineup pieces away. Mickey Gasper had become one of the club’s hottest bats, hitting 10 homers in 84 at-bats since Aug. 17, before hurting his right biceps in the first game of Friday’s doubleheader against the Cubs. His postseason status is now in doubt.
Story returned Aug. 30 after missing more than three months following sports hernia surgery and batted .280 over his first 20 games back. Rutschman, acquired at the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline, has had trouble finding consistent offense in Boston but recorded two hits in that Friday doubleheader opener. Abreu has been cold for much of September, though his track record suggests he can change a lineup with one quick hot streak.
Boston’s back end begins with Aroldis Chapman, the 38-year-old former Yankee who remains among the game’s premier closers. Garrett Whitlock has been a major setup presence, while Tyron Guerrero brings triple-digit heat. Brayan Bello can cover multiple innings or bridge a shorter outing. Garrett Crochet, who opened the season as Boston’s ace, has not pitched since April 25; the Red Sox must decide whether he has shown enough to make the roster and, if he does, how much they can reasonably ask of him.
The Yankees’ projected order against Gray would feature Ben Rice at DH, Cody Bellinger in left, Heliot Ramos in right, Luis García Jr. at first, Spencer Jones in center, Jazz Chisholm Jr. at second, George Lombard Jr. at short, Austin Wells catching and José Caballero at third. The look changes considerably if Boston starts Tolle or another left-hander.
Aaron Judge remains the central New York question. He is working through a right soleus strain that would normally demand a longer injured-list absence, but Judge wants to be available for the Wild Card Series and must still persuade the medical staff. Giancarlo Stanton and Trent Grisham have both been hitting and running, while Ryan Weathers is sidelined by a flexor strain but hopes to return.
Rice carried much of the Yankees’ power load, reaching 40 and 41 home runs on Sept. 23 against Tampa Bay. The Cohasset, Massachusetts, native shared the AL lead until Pete Alonso moved ahead Friday, and Rice has six September homers. Bellinger has been productive all month, with 14 RBIs, matching Jones for second on the club behind Lombard’s 16. García surged after arriving in a midseason deal before falling into a lengthy hitless spell, while Ryan McMahon has struggled offensively throughout the year.
David Bednar closed out his first full Bronx season with 35 saves, a 2.50 ERA and 63 appearances. New York has leaned on Paul Blackburn, Brent Headrick and Tim Hill in the late innings, then added Michael Fulmer and John Schreiber down the stretch after making no Trade Deadline bullpen move. Will Warren is also moving into relief and could provide valuable length.
Tuesday’s Game 1 will air on NBC, Peacock and NBCSN. By the end of the night, the series will have its first edge—but neither clubhouse will need a reminder of how quickly this rivalry can turn. Boston’s June revival began by taking four straight from New York. The Yankees answered by winning three of four in late August. October now supplies the tiebreaker, with a trip to Tampa Bay waiting for whichever club can claim two wins.
