Red Sox-Yankees AL Wild Card Series Game 1 FAQ (Tues., 6 ET, ESPN)

The sport’s fiercest rivalry will write its latest chapter this week as the Yankees and Red Sox meet in the American League Wild Card Series. The shared history between these franchises illustrates how the postseason can reset narratives, offering fresh opportunities for heartbreak and heroics.

The Yankees earned the right to host, and Yankee Stadium is bracing for a cauldron of noise. Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and the rest of New York’s power core have shouldered the weight of expectations all summer, now stepping onto a stage where a single swing can alter legacies.

“We’ve got a rowdy crowd out there, a rowdy group that’s been behind us all year long,” Judge said. “Even in our tough times in the summer, they were still showing out in numbers, supporting us. They’re definitely going to be excited for a Yankees-Red Sox postseason matchup, that’s for sure.”

Across the diamond, Boston arrives with its own dangerous mix of youth and experience, carrying the swagger of a team that believes it can spoil the party in enemy territory. Boston won nine of the 13 meetings between the clubs this year.

“Just as a fan of the game, I think growing up, you know pretty well about the rivalry and what it means to both cities,” said Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story. “And I think it's a special thing. I think it's the best in all of sports.”

All series are available in the US on MLB.TV with authentication to a participating Pay TV provider. Games also are available live internationally, although not in Canada.

Red Sox: A day after the Yankees signed Max Fried at the Winter Meetings, the Sox countered by trading four prospects to the White Sox for their own lefty ace in Garrett Crochet (18-5, 2.59 ERA). That move worked out very well.

Making a career-high 32 starts, Crochet led the AL with 205 1/3 innings. His teammates call him Beast because of his nasty arsenal. Crochet has translated it into dominance, leading MLB with 255 strikeouts. Most people consider Crochet to be Boston’s Most Valuable Player this season. He is the biggest reason the club snapped a three-year postseason drought.

Yankees: Fried (19-5, 2.86 ERA) turned in a stellar first season in pinstripes, living up to every dime of his eight-year, $218 million contract, the richest ever issued to a left-handed pitcher.

Sliding into the ace role seamlessly following Gerrit Cole's injury in March, Fried established new career highs in wins (19), starts (32), innings (195 1/3) and strikeouts (189). His 19 wins matched the most by a Yankee in the last 15 years (also CC Sabathia in 2011 and Luis Severino in 2018).

Fried keeps hitters guessing with a polished mix that features one of baseball's best curves, a low- to mid-70s hammer that he can land for strikes or bury for chases. They can't dig in for that, though; Fried is likely to fire his cutter, sinker, four-seamer, sweeper or changeup in big spots.

Red Sox: Red Sox manager Alex Cora has a different unit against lefties than he does versus righties, and he’ll likely stick to it in the postseason. That could lead to at least one key left-handed bat coming off the bench in Game 1. Wilyer Abreu and/or Masataka Yoshida would be the most likely candidates to sit against Fried. Rob Refsnyder and Romy Gonzalez aren’t household names, but they both rake against lefties.

Yankees: Powered by Judge, who joined Mickey Mantle (1956) and Jimmie Foxx (1938) as the only players in Major League history to hit at least 50 homers while winning a batting title, the Yankees present a dynamic offensive attack that is more than just the long ball. They did plenty of that, though: their 274 blasts were the second-most in franchise history, behind only the 306 clubbed by the 2019 squad.

Red Sox: Aroldis Chapman, the former Yankee, is having a career season at the age of 37. The key has been a dramatic improvement in command. The lefty fireballer has a 1.17 ERA while converting 32 of 34 save opportunities. Garrett Whitlock has been outstanding as the lead setup man. Justin Slaten will also be asked to get outs in high-leverage spots.

Yankees: David Bednar stepped into the closer’s role after his midseason acquisition from the Pirates, pitching to a 2.19 ERA in 22 appearances, locking down nine saves. Devin Williams’ confidence is high after a strong finish to a turbulent season. They’ll also lean upon Fernando Cruz, Tim Hill and Luke Weaver for big outs.

Red Sox: Star rookie Roman Anthony suffered a left oblique strain on Sept. 2, and won’t be ready for this round. Alex Bregman missed seven weeks in the middle of the season with a severe right quad injury and hasn’t been the same hitter he was before the injury. He looked better down the stretch.

Yankees: Judge sustained a right flexor tendon strain in July that kept him out of the outfield until Sept. 5. Initially cautious, he has uncorked stronger throws of late, but doesn’t appear to be at full force. Chisholm was hit on the left forearm by a pitch on Saturday and was out of the Game 162 lineup, though he came off the bench late. Stanton is still playing through tennis elbow in both arms, but it appears manageable.

Red Sox: Yoshida struggled mightily for weeks following his July return from right labrum surgery. But he turned it on in the last eight games, going 13-for-34 with two doubles, two homers and five RBIs. The notoriously streaky Ceddanne Rafaela also had a strong finish, hitting .424 with five doubles and a triple in his last 33 at-bats of the regular season. Bregman had a .640 OPS in September. The Red Sox advancement past this round could depend on him heating up.

Yankees: Judge, Stanton and Rice are among those swinging hot bats going into the playoffs. Fried has been strong over his last seven starts, pitching to a 6-1 record and 1.55 ERA, while Williams' last five relief outings have been sharp. It's been a scuffle for McMahon, batting just .208 with four homers since his July acquisition from the Rockies.

The Red Sox took two of three at Yankee Stadium June 6-8, then swept the Yanks at Fenway Park June 13-15. Boston took three of four in the Bronx Aug. 21-24.

However, the Yankees were on top in their most recent meeting at Fenway Sept. 12-14, taking the first two games before Crochet defeated New York in a Sunday evening showdown.

The most recent postseason meeting between the Red Sox and Yankees came in the 2021 AL Wild Card Game, then a one-game playoff. That was won by Boston, 6-2, at Fenway Park.

After decades of agony against the Yankees, the Red Sox have won their three postseason meetings with their rivals, starting with the historic comeback from 3-0 down in the ‘04 ALCS.

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