The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees will meet for their final series of the regular season on September 12-14 at Fenway Park. Boston has already won the season series, and therefore the tie-breaker for postseason standing, but the storied rivalry has more stakes than it has in recent years.
The Red Sox and Yankees are neck-and-neck for the first American League Wild Card spot, and both teams are fighting to take the AL East from the Toronto Blue Jays, who have been in first place for weeks. Boston sits just half a game back from New York in the Wild Card standings, and if its pattern of success from the rest of the season is any indication, it could be primed to take the lead this weekend.
But the Red Sox are battling a slew of injuries that could limit their offense against the Yankees' rotation. Roman Anthony will be sidelined for the rest of the regular season with an oblique strain, and the Sox have missed the offensive boost he provides. Anthony is slashing .292/.396/.463 with an .859 OPS over 71 games this season as a 21-year-old rookie. Marcelo Mayer, Dustin May, Richard Fitts, Wilyer Abreu and Romy Gonzalez are also dealing with injuries, although Gonzalez's injury is not expected to be serious.
Despite having the season series in the bag, their latest matchups with the Yankees are still critically important. If Boston wins, it has the chance to bury New York in the standings by essentially gaining two games on it with each victory.
The Red Sox could bury the Yankees in the Wild Card race with another series win
The final two weeks of the Red Sox's season will be a slog, while the Yankees have mostly easy matchups to close out their year. The Sox have the Yankees, A's, Rays, Blue Jays and Tigers in front of them to finish the season, while New York's last two weeks comprise two series with the Orioles, and bouts with the Twins and White Sox.
Before their ugly series against the Tigers from September 9-11, the Yankees won seven-straight games against the Nationals and White Sox, and took series from the Astros and Blue Jays, both first-place teams in their respective divisions. The Red Sox haven't had as much luck recently, as they lost series to the Pirates and Diamondbacks as the Yankees racked up more wins.
But even through New York's recent success and the Sox's latest injury troubles, they could still pull off a series win. The Red Sox have had the Yankees' number all season long, and if they continue their reign of terror over their rivals, it will be their best chance to gain higher standing in the postseason race.