Red Sox vs Yankees series opener bumped to Tuesday night due to weather

The Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees game scheduled for Tuesday afternoon has been pushed back until tonight due to weather concerns.

The Boston Red Sox will need to wait at least a few extra hours before clinching their third consecutive AL East division title. We were scheduled to have day baseball on Tuesday until weather concerns in the Bronx delayed the start time for Tuesday’s series opener against the New York Yankees.

First pitch is now scheduled for 7:05 PM EST, assuming the rain clears by that time.

Boston’s magic number to clinch the division is down to two, meaning they lock up the AL East with one more win or another loss by the Yankees. The head-to-head matchup makes it easy. The Red Sox need to win only one game in this series to clinch.

Granted, it’s a foregone conclusion at this point. A sweep would give the Yankees a confidence boost yet would only delay the inevitable. Boston has 12 games remaining and I’d bet the farm that they’ll win at least one of them. Despite the near certainty, the Red Sox would still like to get this formality over with during this series in New York. Clinching the division over their rivals in Yankee Stadium would make the accomplishment that much sweeter.

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The Red Sox will send right-hander Nathan Eovaldi to the mound to start tonight’s game. Eovaldi had been banished to the bullpen and will likely return to that role in the postseason but he’s back in the rotation for now. He last made an appearance on September 11, tossing 3 2/3 innings of relief after Chris Sale went only one inning in his return from the disabled list.

J.A. Happ will attempt to keep hope alive for the Yankees. He’s been everything New York could have hoped for since he was acquired mid-season from the Toronto Blue Jays. Happ is 6-0 with a 2.70 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and 8.29 K/9 in eight starts since joining the Yankees rotation. He’s had Boston’s number this year, allowing only one run in 10 2/3 innings (0.84 ERA) over his two starts against the Red Sox.

The delayed start time means we’ll have to wait a bit longer for lineups to be released but we’re expecting Mookie Betts to serve as the designated hitter tonight. The star outfielder was removed for precautionary reasons in the sixth inning of Sunday’s game against the New York Mets when he appeared to hurt his side making a throw to home plate. Betts claims he’s fine and plans to play when this series begins.

Is tonight the night that the Red Sox spray champagne to celebrate another division title? Tune in tonight at 7:05 – not 1:00 this afternoon – to find out!