With their 4-3 win over the Chicago Cubs, the Boston Red Sox have clinched the No. 5 seed in the American League playoffs. That means they’ll travel to Yankee Stadium to take on the New York Yankees.
This marks the seventh time that the Yankees and Red Sox will face each other in the postseason. The two AL East rivals have split the six series. The most notable series between the clubs are the 2003 and 2004 ALCS, which led to iconic postseason memories.
The Red Sox will certainly hope for better results than the last time those two teams squared off in the postseason. After taking a 1-0 lead, the Yankees stormed back to take the series in three games to advance to the ALDS.
Red Sox Likely Rotation Against Yankees
Boston will most likely line up Payton Tolle, Sonny Gray, and Ranger Suarez for the Wild Card Series. All three starters were key additions to the starting rotation this season, through different means.
Gray was acquired in a trade, Suarez was a major free-agent signing, and Tolle was a former top prospect reaching his projected ceiling. It shows the different areas in which Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow has strengthened this rotation.
On the other side, the Yankees will likely send Gerrit Cole, Cam Schlittler, and Max Fried against the Red Sox. The question of order between the two AL East clubs will likely be addressed in the following days.
Both teams feature starters with elite stuff and are battle-tested in October. This series may carry arguably the best starting pitching matchups for the entire postseason.
The Wild Card Series between the Red Sox and Yankees starts on September 29. The winner of the series will move on to take on the Tampa Bay Rays, the AL East division champion, in the American League Division Series.
Red Sox Right Now
This series serves as a fitting milestone for the Red Sox’s 2026 season. Boston started their ascent from the basement with a series sweep of the Yankees at Fenway Park on June 25-28. They entered that series 32-46, and the rest is history.
That also led to manager Chad Tracy being named the full-time manager after a stellar job replacing Alex Cora. Tracy is 76-57 since taking over in the dugout and was rewarded with a new three-year contract extension.
The Red Sox’s newest manager could earn more favor if the Red Sox take down the Yankees for the fourth time in October.
Red Sox Clinch AL’s No. 5 Seed, Securing Rematch Against AL East Archrival