The Red Sox have the fewest wins in Major League Baseball, tied with the team they just dropped an 8-6 decision to, the Rockies. The Yankees own the third-most wins in MLB.
It was just eight months ago that the folks in New York were whispering about the bright future these Red Sox had, even after being edged out in the Wild Card round of the American League playoffs. Now, the conversation has been replaced by confusion.
As the Yankees once again get ready to face off with the Red Sox at Fenway Park for four games, the meat-and-potatoes question is a simple one: How have these two organizations taken such dramatically different paths this season?
It hasn't been perfect for the Yankees by any stretch. Aaron Judge is out until August. One of their most effective players, Trent Grisham, is now sidelined by a hamstring injury. Giancarlo Stanton remains sidelined with a bad calf. And, after Cam Schlittler, no starter in the Yankees' rotation has an ERA under 4.00 this month.
But, still, it sure looks like they have things figured out better than these Red Sox.
Perhaps it's best to look even beyond 2026 Opening Day as a jumping-off point. Let's go back to when the Yanks came to Fenway for a meaningless series on Sept. 12, 2023.
At that point, the Red Sox were one game up on the Yankees at 73-71, with the two clubs jockeying for position in the basement of the A.L. East. Both organizations were taking on water and clearly needed a dramatic reset to achieve sustainable success.
The Yankees uncovered their answers. The Red Sox are still looking for theirs.
Since that 2023 mid-September series opener at Fenway, the Yankees are 247-175, having played in 21 postseason games. The Red Sox? They are 207-214, appearing in the playoffs for just three games.
That brings us to the here and now.
The Red Sox's current woes can certainly be attributed in part to injuries. No, Garrett Crochet. No Roman Anthony. No Trevor Story. And, on Wednesday, another suddenly reliable piece of the puzzle, Caleb Durbin, was hit with a dislocated pinky finger.
It all contributed to the nonstop misery for the Red Sox, who still haven't won more than three consecutive games all season, having done so just twice. For June, they own a 7-13 record, tied for the worst in MLB.
But, for whatever reason, the Yankees' roster construction has proven to be built for the kind of adversity that these sorts of seasons present. Case in point: Since Judge exited the lineup on the final day of May, New York has totaled the third-most homers (33), 10 more than the Red Sox. The Yanks have also scored 19 more runs than the Sox during this Judge-less stretch.
How are they doing it? Impactful veterans such as Paul Goldschmidt, who has been one of baseball's hottest hitters in June (.364 batting average, 1.024 OPS). The development of their young players, such as soon-to-be All-Star Ben Rice and newly promoted Spencer Jones. And the ability to build a lockdown bullpen despite moving on from former late-inning stalwarts Devin Williams and Luke Weaver.
It's a recipe that is threatening to smack the Red Sox in the face for the next four days, with the Yankees owning the most wins of any team in baseball (19) when facing lefty starting pitchers. Spoiler: the Red Sox are throwing lefties in the next three games.
Who knows? Maybe June 25, 2026, represents the kind of fork-in-the-road moment for the Red Sox that the Yankees discovered 1,018 days ago. It's hard to imagine, but so was the idea of the Red Sox owning just 32 wins at this point on the calendar.
