The greatest rivalry in North American professional sports is getting another postseason chapter this week in the Bronx, with the New York Yankees hosting the Boston Red Sox in the best-of-three American League Wild Card Series, which begins on Tuesday night.
It simply does not get much better than this. October baseball in one of the game’s great cathedrals, with two bitter enemies playing in the vacuum that is the first to two wins.
The 94-win Yankees, who were on the wrong side of the tiebreaker with the Toronto Blue Jays for the AL East title and the No. 1 seed in the junior circuit, hold the top Wild Card seed, which earned them hosting duties. This is the eighth time in nine years they are in the postseason, and they are keen on taking things one step further after falling short in the World Series last year to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
They appear hot at the right time, although they had a cakewalk of a schedule to end the season. The Bronx Bombers are riding an eight-game winning streak heading into the Wild Card Series.
The Red Sox finished five games behind the Yankees in both the division and the Wild Card standings, though they are buoyed by the confidence of beating their rivals nine out of 13 times this season. Boston has also defeated the Yankees in each of their last three postseason meetings, the most recent coming in the one-game AL Wild Card back in 2021 at Fenway Park.
Does history repeat itself? Or is this the Yankees’ first step toward breaking their 15-year World Series drought? Let’s dive in:
2025 American League Wild Card Series: Red Sox at Yankees schedule
- Game 1: Tuesday, Sept. 30, 6:08 p.m. ET (ESPN)
- Game 2: Wednesday, Oct. 1, 6:08 p.m. (ESPN)
- Game 3 (if necessary): Thursday, Oct. 2, 6:08 p.m. (ESPN)
5 Red Sox to watch
Garrett Crochet, LHP
Getting the ball for Game 1 in the Bronx, Garrett Crochet has been masterful in his first season with Boston, going 18-5 with a 2.59 ERA and a league-leading 255 strikeouts in 205.1 innings. In four starts against the Yankees this season, he went 3-0 with a 3.29 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and 39 strikeouts in 27.1 innings pitched.
He’s been able to neutralize Aaron Judge for the most part. While the Yankees’ slugger does have two home runs against him, Crochet has struck him out 11 times in 15 career at-bats.
Alex Bregman, 3B
The veteran third baseman’s resume speaks for itself: A two-time World Series winner with the Houston Astros who has developed into one of this generation’s very best at the hot corner. But an injury-riddled debut campaign with the Red Sox has produced mixed results.
While he still sported an .821 OPS in his 114 games, he went ice-cold late in the season. Since Aug. 23 (31 games), he is slashing just .180/.273/.262 (.536 OPS) with two home runs and 10 RBI. Boston will need his experience to help them navigate through New York.
Masataka Yoshida, DH/LF
What will the Red Sox get from their lefty bat? Either he or Wilyer Abreu could very well see the bench for Game 1 against Yankees star southpaw Max Fried, but Yoshida’s finish to the regular season could see him sneak into the lineup.
The 32-year-old Japanese product, who played just 55 games this season after needing surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder, has picked it up as of late. Over his last eight games, he went 13-for-34 (.382) with two home runs, two doubles, and five RBI. If he can carry that into the postseason, the middle of Boston’s lineup behind Bregman and Trevor Story looks a whole lot better.
Aroldis Chapman, LHP
The former Yankees closer has rediscovered his elite stuff in Boston and is having a career year at the age of 37. He converted 32 of 34 save opportunities in 2025 while boasting a 1.17 ERA. Imagine him coming in and potentially trying to finish off the Yankees’ season.
Trevor Story, SS
Finally, a healthy season for the injury-plagued Story, and it’s nice to see that a solid ballplayer still exists.
The 32-year-old played in 157 games this season, which ties a career high set in 2018 with the Colorado Rockies. It was the first time he played more than 100 games in a season since 2021, and the production was there. He hit 25 home runs with 96 RBI.
This was the kind of player the Red Sox were expecting to see when they signed him to a six-year, $140 million contract in 2022. Now, he’ll have to prove that he can do this in the postseason.
5 Yankees to watch
Max Fried, LHP
New York’s Game 1 starter will create a must-see matchup against Crochet, as he lived up to the billing that came with signing a record-setting eight-year, $218 million contract to join the Yankees over the winter.
Fried went 19-5 with a 2.86 ERA and after a mid-summer bobble, rediscovered his elite stuff. In his final seven starts, he went 6-1 with a 1.55 ERA. His contributions helped ease the blow of losing Gerrit Cole for the season, and ensures the yankees have a bona fide ace to roll with in the playoffs.
David Bednar, RHP
Bednar has transitioned into the Yankees’ closer role to provide the stability that Devin Williams and Luke Weaver couldn’t. Since coming over from the Pirates at the trade deadline, he has nine saves with a 2.19 ERA.
Williams has pitched better down the stretch, so any bobble could see a closer-by-committee setup by manager Aaron Boone, but the Yankees have the luxury of having a few high-leverage options with Weaver, Fernando Cruz and Tim Hill.
Aaron Judge, RF
Yes, this is the most feared slugger of this generation. Yes, he is one of the greatest Yankees of all-time, already. Yes, he is likely going to win his third AL MVP after becoming just the third player in MLB history to win a batting title while hitting more than 50 home runs (53) in a single season.
Aaron Judge is the Yankees. He is appointment television, a must-see every time he even goes near the batter’s box. But he is a completely different player in October. In 58 career postseason games, he owns a .205 average and a .768 OPS. Can he turn it around this Fall?
Giancarlo Stanton, DH
Stanton was nothing short of unstoppable this season when he was healthy, hitting 24 home runs in just 77 games. That’s a full-season pace of 50 home runs, all while managing the pain that has come from tennis elbow in both arms.
We already know what he can do in the postseason, as the veteran slugger has flipped the script on his Yankees career from oft-injured letdown, to one of the greatest playoff performers in franchise history. He hit seven home runs last October, the most in a single postseason in team history, and has 18 career postseason home runs, which ranks third in Yankees history and 10th in MLB history.
Jazz Chisholm Jr., 2B
One of the seven members of MLB’s 30-30 club this season, Chisholm is one of New York’s most invaluable pieces. He set new career highs with 31 home runs and 80 RBI, and has created an imposing left-handed duo alongside Cody Bellinger.
The second baseman took a pitch off his forearm over the weekend, which held him out of the lineup for the regular-season finale on Sunday. While he did come off the bench, it’s something to monitor in the Wild Card Series.
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