For the first time in 14 years, the New York Yankees (100-62) and the Boston Red Sox (108-54) are set to meet in the postseason as they start the American League Division Series tonight at Fenway Park.
The Red Sox took the season series 10-9 in a season when both clubs finished with over 100 wins for the first time in MLB history although Boston ended winning the division by eight games.
New York boasts a powerful and now healthy lineup that set the MLB record for most home runs in a season with 267. Furthermore, a record-breaking 12 players hit at least 10 homers with outfielder Giancarlo Stanton leading the way with 38.
Four other Yankees hit at least 27 long balls including Aaron Judge and Didi Gregorius, both of whom missed time with injuries.
On the mound, the Yankees don’t have the strongest rotation, but ace Luis Severino finished with a 19-8 record and a 3.39 ERA, while J.A. Happ (17-6, 3.65) has been a great mid-season addition.
The Yankees bullpen, anchored by Aroldis Chapman, pitched to a 3.3 earned run average trailing only the Oakland Athletics by .01 for the best in the American League
The Red Sox are the favorite in the series after finishing the season as the 12th team since 1900 to win as many as 108 games in a regular season. They did by never losing more than three games in a row, and that only happened twice during the course of the season.
Outfielder Mookie Betts, who finished the season with 30 home runs and 80 RBI, led the majors in hitting with a .346 average to become the first Red Sox player to achieve that accomplishment since Wade Boggs in 1988.
Remarkably Betts may not even be the best all-around hitter on his own team as J.D. Martinez hit a career-high .330 with 43 homers and 130 RBI in 150 games.
Boston’s pitching staff is captained by Chris Sale (12-4), who led the rotation with a 2.11 ERA and struck out 237 batters in 158 innings over 27 games. Although he’s had two trips to the disabled list since July 31, Sale is now healthy and is set to take the ball in game 1 against Happ.
Sale was spectacular in two starts this year against the Yankees, allowing just one run while striking out 19 over 13 innings.
Happ has been dominant since the Yankees got him as he’s 7-0 with a 2.69 ERA in pinstripes. That includes a six-inning, four-run win over the Red Sox at Fenway on Sept. 28 and six innings of one-run ball against them in New York on Sept. 18.
For game 2 the Yankees will send Masahiro Tanaka to the mound opposite David Price.
Tanaka struggled in his final two regular-season starts, giving up eight earned runs in eight innings. In four starts against the Red Sox during the regular season, he had a 7.58 ERA. In four career postseason starts, his ERA is 1.44.
Price carries momentum into October after he went 6-1 with a 2.25 ERA over his 11 starts after the All-Star break. The lefty hopes to improve on his career 5.03 ERA in postseason play.
When the series moves to New York, Rick Porcello and Nathan Eovaldi are expected to pitch for the Red Sox in games 3 and 4 respectively, while the Yankees have yet to announce the starters for their home games.
There’s been no word by either team about who would start in game 5 if needed.
The last time these teams met in the playoffs was 2004, the year the Red Sox broke their 86-yard championship drought.
