The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox renew baseball’s greatest rivalry this week in the 2025 American League Wild Card round.
The Yankees finished tied with the Toronto Blue Jays atop the AL East record-wise, but lost the head-to-head tiebreaker.
That sent Toronto directly to the Division Series with a first-round bye, while New York enters as the No. 4 seed against No. 5 Boston.
2025 MLB Postseason bracket illustrating the complete playoff path from the Wild Card round through the World Series. (Image Credit: Globely News)
The Wild Card round is a best-of-three format, with all games hosted by the higher seed. Yankee Stadium will stage Game 1 on Tuesday and Game 2 on Wednesday, both at 6:08 PM Eastern. If necessary, Game 3 will be played on Thursday at the same time.
The Yankees are set to start Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, and Cam Schlittler in Games 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Boston has not finalized its rotation, but Garrett Crochet gets the ball in Game 1 and Brayan Bello is lined up for Game 2. Lucas Giolito will miss the Wild Card series with an elbow issue.
Yankees-Red Sox Head-to-Head in 2025
The Red Sox dominated the season series, winning nine of 13 meetings, but the Yankees have taken three of the last four in September.
Most matchups have been tight, with an average margin of just 3.15 runs, and 10 of the 13 games were decided by three runs or fewer.
But the most important factor in this series may be momentum, which is on the Yankees’ side.
Fall Form
The Yankees closed the regular season with an 18–7 record in September (.720 winning percentage), compared to 13–11 (.542) for the Red Sox. New York also won the lone September series between the two rivals.
Offensively, Boston posted a strong .267 batting average, second-best in MLB, but their power numbers dipped — just 20 home runs in the month (tied for 26th).
Virtually all of that September production was without Roman Anthony, who had catalyzed the Boston offense when he was promoted in June and just started showcasing power at the top of the order till he fell to an oblique injury. The Red Sox have leaned heavily on contact hitting but lacked consistent run production, finishing the month with 108 runs (tied for 18th).
The Yankees finished the regular season leading the league in home runs (274) and runs scored (849), and remained near the top in both categories in September. They scored 130 runs in the final month, backed by a .785 OPS in September compared to Boston’s .731.
Crochet, the Red Sox’s Game 1 starter, has had a Cy Young-caliber season, with an 18-5 record and 2.59 ERA. But he’s faltered a bit in September, beginning the month with a disastrous outing against the Cleveland Guardians, allowing seven runs in six innings. He’s faced the Yankees four times this season, with a 3-0 record and 3.29 ERA.
Bullpen Picture
The Yankees’ bullpen has been a season-long question mark, but there are bright spots. David Bednar was dominant in September, posting a 1.59 ERA with seven saves in 11 games, taking on the closer role from Devin Williams.
Williams struggled most of the year but has emerged as an effective setup man. Over his last nine outings, he has not allowed a run, giving up just five hits with 12 strikeouts.
Paul Blackburn, signed after being released by the Mets, turned in a 0.90 ERA across six September appearances after a disastrous August.
Yankees vs. Red Sox: 2025 Wild Card Series Schedule & Tickets
Game 1: Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Time: 6:08 PM Eastern | Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx | TV: ESPN | Tickets
Probable Pitchers: Garret Crochet (Red Sox) vs. Max Fried (Yankees)
Game 2: Wednesday, October 1, 2025
Time: 6:08 PM Eastern | Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx | TV: ESPN | Tickets
Probable Pitchers: Brayan Bello (Red Sox) vs. Carlos Rodon (Yankees)
Game 3 *: Thursday, October 2, 2025
Time: 6:08 PM Eastern | Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx | TV: ESPN | Tickets
Probable Pitchers: TBD (Red Sox) vs. Cam Schlittler (Yankees)
* If necessary
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