One of baseball’s most familiar postseason rivalries is getting another October chapter as the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees meet in a best-of-three American League Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium.
For Boston, the assignment comes with a familiar obstacle. Cam Schlittler will take the mound for New York in Game 1 after emerging as one of the American League’s most imposing starters.
Schlittler finished the regular season 14-6 with a 1.95 ERA and 239 strikeouts, building on the postseason breakthrough that helped end Boston’s season a year ago. He will again get an opportunity to face the club he once followed while growing up in Massachusetts.
Boston will answer with 23-year-old left-hander Payton Tolle. The rookie went 9-6 with a 3.03 ERA and now gets one of the biggest assignments of his young career, opening a playoff series in the Bronx against the Red Sox’s longtime rival.
The pitching matchup is only part of what makes the series intriguing.
Boston’s presence in October follows a remarkable midseason recovery. The Red Sox were 15 1/2 games behind in the division on June 19, but their fortunes changed dramatically as the summer progressed. A four-game sweep of the Yankees at Fenway Park helped ignite the turnaround and put Boston back into postseason contention.
The resurgence also came under new leadership. Chad Tracy replaced Alex Cora as manager in April and will now manage his first postseason series.
New York enters October with a significant hole in its lineup. Aaron Judge will not be on the Yankees’ Wild Card roster because of a right soleus strain, forcing New York to navigate the opening round without one of its most dangerous hitters.
Boston has injury concerns of its own, particularly in the bullpen. Tyron Guerrero and Justin Slaten are unavailable, putting additional importance on the remaining relief options. Aroldis Chapman and Garrett Whitlock figure prominently in late-inning situations, while the activation of Garrett Crochet gives Boston another potentially important arm.
Should the series extend beyond the opener, both clubs have experienced starting pitching lined up. Boston plans to turn to Sonny Gray in Game 2 and Ranger Suarez if a deciding third game is required. New York has Max Fried scheduled behind Schlittler, with Gerrit Cole positioned for a possible Game 3.
The regular season offered little evidence that either side should expect a comfortable series. New York won seven of 13 meetings, but Boston delivered one of the rivalry’s biggest swings by sweeping four games at Fenway in June.
Now the stakes are considerably higher.
This will be the seventh postseason meeting between the Red Sox and Yankees, with the first six matchups divided evenly between the rivals. That history provides a fitting backdrop for another short series in which there is little room for error.
Three games at most will determine who moves on.
For Boston and New York, that is more than enough time to add another memorable chapter to a rivalry that rarely needs help creating drama.
