The Red Sox and Yankees will be locking up for another postseason showdown.
With the Red Sox's 4-3 win over the Tigers on Sunday, the stage has been set for a best-of-three Wild Card series between Boston and New York. The entire series will be held at Yankee Stadium, with Game 1 taking place Tuesday at 6:08 p.m.
Game 2 will also be at 6:08 p.m. Wednesday, with Brayan Bello going up against Carlos Rodon. If a Game 3 is needed, Lucas Giolito is the likely starter for the Red Sox on Thursday, also at 6:08 p.m.
The matchup was cemented not only with the Red Sox's victory - allowing Alex Cora's team to finish the regular season at 89-73 - but also Toronto's win over Tampa Bay, allowing the Blue Jays to clinch the American League East title.
"It’s New York against Boston. It’s going to be big," Cora said. "We’ve got a bunch of guys that haven’t been on this stage but they have a lot of guys that haven’t been on this stage, either. It should be fun. It’s going to be loud. Like always, if we pitch we’re going to be OK."
Game 1 figures to pit Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet against the Yankees' Max Fried. The Sox have won all four of the games Crochet has started against New York, with the lefty most recently giving up three runs over six innings on Sept. `14.
Crochet has made two appearances this season at Yankee Stadium, the first one coming on June 7 when he allowed five runs in six innings. His most recent start in the Bronx on Aug. 23, with Crochet giving up just one run over seven innings.
The Red Sox have faced Max Fried three times this season, with the southpaw allowing four runs over 19 1/3 innings (1.96 ERA). The Yankees won just one of the three starts.
The Sox and Yankees have a record of 12-12 all-time in their postseason meetings, with the team most recently meeting in the winner-take-all, one-game Wild Card playoff in 2021 (which the Red Sox won, 6-2, at Fenway Park).
The most recent postseason matchup between the clubs at Yankee Stadium came on Oct. 9, 2018, when the Sox punched their ticket to the World Series with a Game win.
The winner of the Red Sox/Yankees series will take on Toronto in the best-of-five American League Division Series.
Elsewhere, Cleveland clinched the American League Central crown by coming back in the 10th inning to beat the Rangers. They will host Detroit, with Toronto and Seattle each getting byes.
"Love it," Cora said. "We’re in October. That’s all that matters."