Well, here we are! The postseason is finally here.
And what better way to start than to have the Red Sox and the Yankees in the AL Wild Card game? The two historic rivals of the American League, meet in the playoffs for the second time in the last four years, and do so with plenty of history preceding them.
There was the 1978 season with the Bucky Dent game. There was the 2003 ALCS that ended on Aaron Boone’s dramatic walk-off home run in Game 7. Then we had the 2004 ALCS, where the Sox came all the way back from a 3-0 deficit to knock out their rivals en route to breaking the curse. And more recently, we had the 2018 ALDS, where Boston beat the Yankees in four games to advance to the ALCS and ultimately win their fourth title since ‘04.
We could go on and on. But you get the picture. These two teams hate each other, and every time they match up, especially in the postseason, the whole baseball world is watching. They’ll do so again tonight.
The game will air on ESPN at 8:07 p.m. eastern time. Gerrit Cole will start for the Yankees, while the Red Sox will counter with Nathan Eovaldi.
Both teams finalized their rosters this morning, and now all we can do is wait.
Below, we’ll make a case for each team to win, and try to analyze each of their strengths and weaknesses as we kick off the 2021 postseason.
The Case For The Red Sox:
Well, they’re at home. They barely won the season series with New York. Fenway Park will be rocking tonight. And home-field advantage is huge in the playoffs.
Nathan Eovaldi comes into tonight’s game with a career 1.61 ERA in the postseason, and much of that comes from their run in 2018, where Eovaldi was a playoff hero.
We also need to consider that the Yankees are without Zack Britton, Luke Voit, and DJ LeMahieu. Those are key pieces missing for the Bronx Bombers, which plays right into Boston’s hands.
Boston also has more momentum, having completed a three-game sweep over the weekend in Washington, capped off by a jaw-dropping comeback on Sunday.
New York also clinched on the final day of the season, but still lost two out of three to the Rays.
The Case For The Yankees:
While they have some key injuries, so does Boston.
J.D. Martinez was injured in the season finale on Sunday, and that is a huge blow for Boston.
The Yankees really limped into the postseason, but momentum can change at any moment, especially when we hit October.
It’s also hard to go against Gerrit Cole, who has a history of postseason dominance. Over 13 playoff games, he’s compiled an 8-4 record with a 2.68 ERA. He’s their big game pitcher, and the pitching matchup certainly does favor the Yankees here, as Boston was forced to use Chris Sale in Sunday’s season finale.
Conclusion
We’ve got a wild night ahead of us. Any time Boston and New York meet in the postseason, it’s sure to be fun, and we can expect more memorable moments to occur tonight.
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