NEW YORK — For the third time in eight years, the New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox rivalry has invaded the postseason.
And this time, a showdown between Cy Young-worthy left-handed aces should decide the outcome.
New York and Boston will clash in a best-of-three American League wild card series beginning with Game 1 Sept. 30 at Yankee Stadium, with Max Fried – the Yankees’ $218 million ace – facing off against Red Sox lefty Garrett Crochet.
The star-studded opener is crucial: In the three years of the wild card series, the team winning Game 1 has advanced in all 12 matchups. Crochet led the major leagues with 255 strikeouts and ranked third in the AL with a 2.59 ERA. Fried was not far behind, with a 2.86 mark, and his 19 wins bested Crochet’s 18 to lead the majors.
The Red Sox won the past two postseason meetings between the clubs, dispatching the Yankees 3-1 in the 2018 ALDS on their way to a World Series crown. In 2021, Nathan Eovaldi outpitched Gerrit Cole at Fenway Park to win the wild card game.
What time is Yankees vs Red Sox game today?
First pitch is scheduled for 6:08 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.
How to watch Yankees vs Red Sox: TV channel, stream
Tuesday’s game will air on ESPN and can be streamed with Fubo.
Watch Yankees vs Red Sox on Fubo
Boone explains lineup changes for Game 1
NEW YORK – Jazz Chisholm, the Yankees’ regular second baseman, is sitting in Game One and will be replaced in the lineup by Amed Rosario. Yankees manager Aaron Boone explained his decision in the pre-game press conference. Rosario is 6-for-9, with one home run lifetime against Red Sox starter Garrett Crochet.
‘Jazz is doing good. I wouldn’t hesitate to use Jazz. He could be in this game early. But, yeah, obviously as tough as Crochet is, you know, he has been especially tough on lefties,’ Boone said. ‘There’s no great matchup. Amed has good history with him. Hit him well, faced him a lot this year. Felt like I wanted that extra right-handed bat in there.
‘But Jazz is good to go. Will be ready to go. Also with Max, want the strength on the left side with my defense, all those kind of things come into play.’
Yankees-Red Sox postseason history
This is the sixth time the Yankees and Red Sox have met in the postseason (ALCS: 1999, 2003, 2004; ALDS: 2018; AL wild card Game: 2021).
The teams are 12-12 in the postseason, but Boston has won eight of the last nine playoff games against New York.
During the 2025 regular season, the Red Sox went 9-4 against the Yankees, which included an eight-game winning streak.
Red Sox lineup today
Rob Refsnyder (R) DH
Trevor Story (R) SS
Alex Bregman (R) 3B
Romy Gonzalez (R) 1B
Carlos Narváez (R) C
Nate Eaton (R) RF
Jarren Duran (L) LF
Ceddanne Rafaela (R) CF
Nick Sogard (S) 2B
Yankees lineup today
Paul Goldschmidt (R) 1B
Aaron Judge (R) RF
Cody Bellinger (L) LF
Giancarlo Stanton (R) DH
Amed Rosario (R) 2B
Trent Grisham (L) CF
Anthony Volpe (R) SS
Austin Wells (L) C
José Caballero (R) 3B
Yankees playoff roster for wild card series
NEW YORK — Yankees manager Aaron Boone and his staff have settled on a 26-player roster – 12 pitchers and 14 position players – for the best-of-three AL wild card series against the Boston Red Sox.
Yankees vs Red Sox betting odds
MLB playoff bracket 2025
