It doesn’t get better than this.
The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox will meet in the American League Wild Card Series beginning next week.
That was made official on Friday by Boston’s win in the first game of their doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs.
“This team’s identity in the year has been putting the ball in play and get guys to score and scratch runs, and good to do it today and good to do it toward the end as we head toward playoffs as we get that playoff baseball mentality where you just pass it along,” Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony said after that game, via NESN.
It locked up the second Wild Card spot, which plays at the home field of the top-ranked Wild Card team, in this case the Yankees.
They’re the Nos. 4 and 5 seeds overall in the American League, and the winner will take on AL East champ Tampa Bay in the Divisional Series.
The Yankees and Red Sox met last year in this round, too, as the Yanks advanced in the third game of the best-of-three series.
Given the pitching and overall talent potentially on display, this promises to be an incredible series.
And after the Red Sox won on Friday, star outfielder Roman Anthony shared a message.
Roman Anthony’s Message for Yankees
Anthony didn’t want to give away any bulletin board material, but he also spoke with confidence about what’s coming next. He wasn’t able to play in it last year due to injury.
“That’s what you want as a competitor,” Anthony said on NESN. “They’re a great team. We’re a great team. We always play good baseball against them. They play good baseball against us. It’s gonna be a fun one. A great place to play. Like I said, where else would you rather be as a competitor? We’ll be ready for it. The biggest thing is taking advantage of these next few games, and we’ll deal with that when it comes.”
The Red Sox do first have to figure out where they’re playing their final two games of the regular season. They’re hoping to get the second game of a doubleheader in on Friday night against the Cubs, but a nor’easter storm is rolling in, too.
There’s a chance they have to relocate to Tampa Bay’s Tropicana Field for the final game of the series, which is currently scheduled for Saturday but would potentially be played Sunday if they move it down to the dome in Florida.
Still, vibes are good for the Red Sox. They’ll deal with the punches.
Roman Anthony Stats
For what it’s worth, Anthony played a huge role in clinching the 5-seed on Friday.
He was 3-for-3 with two doubles, a triple and three runs scored.
He missed a lot of the year with an injury, and he’s been in a bit of a rut of late. Anthony certainly seems to be breaking out at the right time, though.
Red Sox’s Roman Anthony Has Playoff Message For Yankees