It's "The Rivalry," Part VII.
The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees are locked in to face off in the American League wild-card series once again.
The Red Sox sealed the outcome by beating the Chicago Cubs 4-3 in the first game of Friday's doubleheader.
As was the case last year, New York is the AL's No. 4 seed as the best team to not win its division and will host the best-of-three showdown at Yankee Stadium. The series begins Tuesday in the Bronx.
This will mark the seventh postseason meeting between the longtime adversaries. Each team has won three series since their first October meeting in the 1999 ALCS.
| Year/Series | Result |
|---|---|
| 1999 ALCS | Yankees won in 5 games (4-1) |
| 2003 ALCS | Yankees won in 7 games (4-3) |
| 2004 ALCS | Red Sox won in 7 games (4-3) |
| 2018 ALDS | Red Sox won in 4 games (3-1) |
| 2021 AL WC Game | Red Sox won 6-2 |
| 2025 AL WC Series | Yankees won in 3 games (2-1) |
The Yankees locked up second place in the AL East and the AL's No. 4 seed earlier this month. They cruised to a third straight 90-win season despite missing three-time AL MVP Aaron Judge for most of the season due to a rib injury. Judge's status for the wild-card series is unknown due to a calf injury, although the slugger says he plans to be play.
Boston, meanwhile, righted its ship after a rough April that cost longtime manager Alex Cora his job. Under new skipper Chad Tracy, who had the interim tag removed this week, the Red Sox have gone 76-57 to secure a playoff spot for the second straight year.
