Two months ago, the Boston Red Sox were a last-place team.
Then they swept the New York Yankees in four games at Fenway Park and started a memorable turnaround.
The final series of the regular season between the rivals will start Friday night when the Red Sox visit the Yankees for four games in three days.
“It’s certainly more exciting based on what the standings look like now,” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said. “I think our guys have played their butts off, and they’ve put themselves in a good position. It’s gotten back to what it should be.”
The Red Sox lead the season series 5-4. They outscored the Yankees 21-9 during a four-game sweep June 25-28, and those wins sparked a 32-5 stretch that included a 15-game winning streak to vault them into the playoff race.
The Red Sox have cooled off by going 10-9 in their past 19 games since a 13-1 rout of the A’s three weeks ago but enter the weekend two games behind the Yankees for the AL’s top wild card spot.
Boston won five straight games before mustering five hits and committing four errors in Wednesday’s 4-0 loss to the host Miami Marlins.
Besides trying to secure home field in the wild-card round, the rivals are eyeing first place in the AL East. Boston is six games behind Tampa Bay while the Yankees are four out.
“They got a great ballclub over there,” said New York captain Aaron Judge, who will miss his 75th game of the season because of a stress fracture in his right rib. “Before the season started, they were kind of one that you kind of circle. They got a great pitching staff, they got a great young core of players. They’re going to be a tough matchup throughout the year. They went on a great run here and continue to play some great baseball so it’ll be exciting.”
New York is 12-9 in a stretch of playing 19 of 25 games at home. The Yankees couldn’t win a third straight series when they were held to five hits in a 5-1 loss to Houston on Thursday.
The Yankees will play their first game in the rivalry with George Lombard Jr. at shortstop. The rookie has seven errors in his first 20 games and committed an error in six straight games.
Cam Schlittler (11-6, 2.16 ERA) will pitch on six days’ rest and is 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA in three starts under that scenario. The right-hander last pitched a week ago in New York’s 3-1 win over Toronto when he allowed one run on six hits in six innings.
Schlittler has allowed one run in his past three starts and has permitted one run or less in 17 of 27 starts this season. He is 1-1 with an 0.96 ERA in three regular-season starts against the Red Sox.
Patrick Sandoval (1-2, 4.54 ERA) will make his ninth start since returning from elbow surgery that had sidelined him since June 2024. The left-hander has experienced mixed results so far and allowed two runs on five hits in 5 2/3 innings during a no-decision against San Francisco on Saturday in a game Boston won 3-2.
Sandoval is 2-2 with a 3.70 ERA in four career starts against the Yankees.
–Field Level Media
