Given how important this weekend's series between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees figures to be — they represent the top two Wild Cards in the American League at present — there's no surprise that both sides are planning to throw the kitchen sink at each other.
From one end, you've got the possibility of Roman Anthony joining the Sox in the Bronx late in the series. Though he won't make it in time to face Cam Schlittler in game one on Friday, his return could give the Red Sox a boost on Sunday.
On the other side of things, the Yankees are preparing to bring back their own superstar from IL, as Max Fried is slated to rejoin the team on Saturday as well.
Max Fried and Carlos Rodón are starting tomorrow. TBD who gets which game, Aaron Boone said. #Yankees
— Gary Phillips (@GaryHPhillips) August 28, 2026
That's a pretty gnarly lineup of pitchers to navigate, putting the onus on the Sox's offense to scratch and claw their way to a series victory.
Red Sox will need to overcome Yankees' best pitchers in order to win season series
In terms of starting pitching matchups, the Yankees definitely have the clear edge heading into the weekend. Schlittler is the current AL Cy Young favorite and is comfortably better than his counterpart, Patrick Sandoval. The duo of Carlos Rodón and Fried is also imposing, especially since Red Sox won't be countering with either Payton Tolle or Sonny Gray.
Thankfully, the Sox have been quite good against left-handed pitching this year, ranking fourth in the league with a 114 wRC+. That means they won't make Fried's return a soft landing, though he has historically dominated them in the regular season (1.88 ERA in six starts). He'll effectively replace Ryan Weathers, who hit the IL with a forearm strain earlier this week, in the rotation.
Though this news only makes the Red Sox's task more challenging, this is what late-season baseball is all about. Having played the Yankees to roughly .500 baseball over the past five years, Boston needs to prove that they can beat its chief rival and one of the better teams in the AL on the road. If the standings were to hold as they are, the Sox will be traveling back to the Bronx for the Wild Card Round for the second consecutive year.
This four-game set is also the last time they'll meet in the regular season. A split would guarantee the Sox the head-to-head tiebreaker, since they enter the series with a 5-4 lead.
That's easier said than done when you're due to face Schlittler, Rodón, and Fried in back-to-back-to-back games, but perhaps the Red Sox's magic can continue.
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