Red Sox Vs Yankees Predictions
The Boston Red Sox will host the New York Yankees on Tuesday in the American League Wild Card Game.
It will be the fifth time in MLB history that these two rivals will meet in a sudden-death game (regular season and playoffs). The last time was during Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS, in which the Red Sox completed an epic 3-0 comeback to eventually win the World Series.
The Red Sox and Yankees have met in four previous postseason series. The ‘Bombers won the first two (1999 ALCS and 2003 ALCS), while Boston won the last two (2004 ALCS and 2018 ALDS).
The reason Tuesday’s game is at Fenway Park and not Yankee Stadium is because the Red Sox won the season series.
Gerrit Cole will take the mound for the Yankees and, for Boston, Nathan Eovaldi.
Our experts give their predictions and answer the hottest questions on the eve of another new chapter in baseball’s greatest rivalry.
Which team is more prepared to win this game – Boston or NY?
The Yankees are better prepared to win the Wild Card round and advance to the Divisional Series. True, they come in with three losses in their last five games. But that includes a shutout against tougher teams than Boston (Blue Jays and Rays) and after winning seven in a row and three straight against the Red Sox.
They have more talent and depth. Hitters like Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton were possessed before closing against Tampa Bay. But a good portion of hitters in the majors suffer against the Rays.
New York was favored to win the East Division and even advance to the World Series since spring training began, while the Red Sox had such low expectations that they predicted they could fall below .500.
The Yankees have a more complete team and feature megastar Gerrit Cole on the mound. Even though they are visitors, they look like favorites. The Red Sox’ mission is to continue to break the odds.
Yankees. For them the qualification came from less to more. Their problems and inconsistencies were overcome more than three weeks ago and they finished the season with a very good taste in their mouths. Boston arrives with doubts in the bullpen and injuries. On paper, 27 outs and with Gerrit Cole on the mound, I say the scales are in New York’s favor.
What keeps Alex Cora awake at night thinking about the Yankees?
Stopping Giancarlo Stanton, who in his most recent series, in Boston, hit like he was supposed to on a regular basis since coming to the Yankees: seven hits in 12 at-bats, including three home runs, and 10 runs produced in three games, with an OBP of .357 and an OPS of .871.
But really, if Stanton’s numbers don’t keep him awake, he’s probably not awake at all, not even because his Red Sox have a losing record against postseason teams (26-30), even though they barely won the annual series against the Yankees (10-9).
The last time the Yankees were at Fenway Park, outfield duo Giancarlo Stanton (3 home runs and 10 RBIs) and Aaron Judge (4 runs scored and 3 RBIs) combined to participate in nearly all of the 19 runs the pinstripes scored against Boston.
Of course, Stanton and Judge should get special attention from the Red Sox manager.
Aaron Judge. He’s the hot bat, the most dangerous man. He saw a week ago what a small mistake of letting the game flow in his last game meant and as Judge in this second half sneaks in e bigger than he is, assuming that on-field leadership that is his due already and setting himself up as the new captain. A contact and power bat suited to the game situation it’s hard not to fear him.
And Aaron Boone on the Red Sox?
For starters, manager Aaron Boone must already be having nightmares knowing that his slugger/glove DJ Lemahieu will be out the entire series.
And to top it off, the direct elimination game will be played in Boston, where the Yankees lost six of 10 games this year and where the fans will be more aggressive than ever against them and at Fenway Park the Red Sox have been unbeatable.
At home, the Red Sox lead the majors in runs per game, batting average, OBP and OPS. Their home winning average (.605) is sixth best in the Majors, and they have a .650 average over their last 60 games.
If Boone had a chance to watch the recap of Sunday’s game between the Red Sox and Washington Nationals, then he got a nasty reminder of what Dominican shortstop Rafael Devers, who hit two home runs and drove in four key runs to get Boston into the playoffs, is capable of.
