It's the playoff series Yankees and Red Sox fans have been anticipating for months. The two longtime rivals will square off in an American League Division Series starting Friday in Boston. Here's everything you need to know about the series:
THE BASICS
Format: Best three of five
The Schedule:
Game 1: at Fenway Park in Boston, 7:32 p.m. Friday
Game 2: at Fenway Park in Boston, 8:15 p.m. Saturday
Game 3: at Yankee Stadium, 7:40 p.m. Monday
Game 4, if necessary: at Yankee Stadium, 8:07 p.m. Tuesday
Game 5, if necessary: at Fenway Park in Boston, 7:40 p.m. Thursday
Radio: All games will be aired on WFAN 66 AM and 101.9 FM
TV: All games will be broadcast on TBS
Weather: The forecast for Friday night's opener in Boston calls for temperatures in the mid 50s with no chance of rain. Similar weather is expected for Saturday.
MORE: Murti: Yankees Lineup Back In The Swing Of Things Heading Into ALDS
THE RECORDS
The Yankees finished 100-62 this season, their first 100-win campaign since they won the World Series in 2009. They beat the Oakland A's 7-2 in the American League wild-card game Wednesday night.
The Red Sox went 108-54 this season, setting a franchise record for regular-season victories. They finished eight games ahead of the Yankees to win the AL East championship.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Red Sox took the season series 10-9. Boston won seven of 10 games at Fenway Park, while the Bombers came out on top in six of nine at Yankee Stadium. Here are the results of those 19 games (home team in ALL CAPS).
April 10 -- RED SOX 14, Yankees 1
April 11 -- Yankees 10, RED SOX 7
April 12 -- RED SOX 6, Yankees 3
May 8 -- YANKEES 3, Red Sox 2
May 9 -- YANKEES 9, Red Sox 6
May 10 -- Red Sox 5, YANKEES 4
June 29 -- YANKEES 8, Red Sox 1
June 30 -- Red Sox 11, YANKEES 0
July 1 -- YANKEES 11, Red Sox 1
Aug. 2 -- RED SOX 15, Yankees 7
Aug. 3 -- RED SOX 4, Yankees 1
Aug. 4 -- RED SOX 4, Yankees 1
Aug. 5 -- RED SOX 5, Yankees 4 (10 innings)
Sept. 18 -- YANKEES 3, Red Sox 2
Sept. 19 -- YANKEES 10, Red Sox 1
Sept. 20 -- Red Sox 11, YANKEES 6
Sept. 28 -- Yankees 11, RED SOX 6
Sept. 29 -- Yankees 8, RED SOX 5
Sept. 30 -- RED SOX 10, Yankees 2
STARTING PITCHING
Red Sox
Boston's rotation includes a pair of Cy Young winners and a seven-time All-Star, but all three are still looking to make their marks in October. Chris Sale, the Game 1 starter, is Boston's ace. He went 12-4 this season with a 2.11 ERA and 237 strikeouts. However, after missing most of August and part of September with a shoulder injury, Sale hasn't been his usual dominant self -- he had a 3.75 ERA over four September starts and has not recorded a victory since Aug. 12. He's looking to redeem himself after a disastrous playoff debut against the Astros last year.
MORE: 10 Most Unforgettable Moments From Yankees-Red Sox Rivalry
David Price, a Cy Young winner with Tampa Bay in 2012, is 16-7 this season with a 3.58 ERA and 177 K's. The 33-year-old southpaw, however, is infamous for his postseason struggles, going 2-8 with a 5.03 ERA for his career. And making matters worse, the Yankees seem to be his kryptonite -- he's 0-3 with a 10.34 ERA against them this year.
2016 Cy Young winner Rick Porcello was 17-7 with a 4.28 ERA and 190 strikeouts this season. He, too, has slumped lately, going 3-3 with a 5.51 ERA in his last 10 starts, and his postseason ERA -- 5.47 -- leaves a lot to be desired.
Twenty-five-year-old Eduardo Rodriguez is enjoying his best season, going 13-5 with a 3.82 ERA.
Yankees
Thirty-five-year-old J.A. Happ, New York's Game 1 starter, has been stellar since the Yankees acquired him in a July trade from Toronto, going 7-0 with a 2.69 ERA in 11 starts. (He's 17-6 with a 3.39 ERA overall.) Happ has built a reputation as a Red Sox killer throughout his career. In 21 career appearances against Boston, he's 8-4 with a 2.98 ERA -- and his ERA is below 2.00 over the past two seasons against Boston, which includes eight starts.
Masahiro Tanaka went 12-6 with a 3.75 ERA this season, but he's coming off a pair of rough starts in which he allowed a total of nine runs while not lasting more than four innings.
Luis Severino was 19-8 this season with a 3.39 ERA. The 24-year-old's regular season was a tale of two halves. He was 14-2 with a 2.31 ERA before the All-Star break, but 5-6 with a 5.57 ERA after. He, however, was effective in the Yankees' wild-card game, pitching four shutout innings and striking out seven.
Thirty-eight-year-old CC Sabathia is still delivering quality performances, going 9-7 with a 3.65 ERA.
BULLPENS
Yankees: New York is known for its fearsome bullpen that is led by left-handed flamethrower Aroldis Chapman (2.45 ERA with 32 saves). The Yanks' stable of relievers also includes former Orioles closer Zach Britton and four-time All-Star Dellin Betances as well as Chad Green, Jonathan Holder and Dave Robertson.
LISTEN: John Flaherty Breaks Down ALDS Matchup
Red Sox: Craig Kimbrel (5-1, 2.74, 42 saves) is one of the best closers in the game. Joe Kelly is one of Boston's most heavily used relievers, but his ERA is 4.39. Matt Barnes (6-4, 3.65), Brandon Workman (6-1, 3.27) and Ryan Brasier (2-0, 1.60) are among the Sox's other top weapons out of the pen.
TOP HITTERS
Yankees: The Bombers broke the MLB record with 267 home runs this season. They are led by the dynamic power duo of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Santon, both of whom homered in the wild-card win over Oakland. Despite missing about six weeks with a broken wrist, Judge hit .278 with 27 homers and 67 RBIs. Stanton, the 2017 National League MVP before being traded to New York in December, batted .266 with 38 home runs and 100 RBIs. Rookie third baseman Miguel Andujar, however, has arguably been the team's MVP this season, hitting .297 with 27 home runs and 92 RBIs and delivering several clutch hits. Meanwhile, trade acquisition Luke Voit (.333 with 14 homers) has been a godsend at first base. Didi Gregorius, Gleyber Torres, Andrew McCutchen and Aaron Hicks also are dangerous hitters. And catcher Gary Sanchez (.186, 18 home runs) has struggled all year, but he still packs the potential to change a game with one swing.
Red Sox: The Red Sox, who led the majors in batting average and runs this season, have an explosive lineup, too. Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez are likely to finish 1-2 in American League MVP voting this year. Betts, Boston's right fielder, led the majors with a .346 batting average. He also had 32 home runs and 80 RBIs. Martinez, the Red Sox's big free-agent signing last winter, batted .330 with 43 homers and an MLB-best 130 RBIs. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts (.288, 23 homers, 103 RBIs) and left fielder Andrew Benintendi (.290, 16 homers, 87 RBIs) are tough outs as well. And although he only hit .240 this year, third baseman Rafael Devers belted 21 home runs.
MANAGERS
Yankees: Aaron Boone, 45, is in his first season as a major league manager. He made the jump from the TV booth to the dugout after Joe Girardi was not retained after last season despite taking the Yankees to within one game of the World Series.
Red Sox: Like Boone, Alex Cora, 42, is a rookie manager who was calling games for ESPN not that long ago. Unlike Boone, he spent a season as an assistant coach before being hired as a manager, winning a World Series as the Astros' bench coach in 2017.
MORE: Mike Francesa On Wild Card Game: 'Biggest Crowd I've Seen In Stadium'
POSTSEASON RIVALRY
This is the fourth postseason meeting between these bitter rivals. The Yankees won the 1999 ALCS in five games en route to their third world championship in four years. The Bombers got the better of Boston again in the 2003 ALCS when Boone hit an 11th-inning, walk-off homer in Game 7. And of course, there was the 2004 ALCS, when the Red Sox became the first team ever to rally from a 3-0 deficit to win a seven-game playoff series. They went on to win the World Series, snapping their 86-year title drought.
DID YOU KNOW?
Boone and Cora are former major league players who also had brothers who played in the big leagues. Bret Boone played second base for the Mariners, Reds, Braves and Twins from 1992-2005. Joey Cora, also a second baseman, played for the Padres, White Sox, Mariners and Indians.
BEHIND ENEMY LINES (From WEEI in Boston)
• Chris Sale: 'We did what we had to do to get ready'
• The lesson David Price learned from past postseasons
• You got what you wanted: It's Red Sox vs. Yankees
• Bradford: You might have no idea how much little things are about to matter