Standout moments from Yankees, Red Sox historic rivalry; MLB Wild Card Series begins tonight

NEW YORK - The Yankees and Red Sox are set to clash again on one of baseball’s biggest stages, meeting in a best-of-three Wild Card Series beginning Tuesday night in the Bronx.

Standout moments from a historical rivalry

From Aaron Boone’s walk-off homer in the 2003 ALCS to Boston’s epic 2004 comeback, Yankees–Red Sox October games are etched into baseball history. The teams’ postseason clashes have provided some of the sport’s most memorable moments, and fans on both sides expect another emotional ride this week.

• Bucky Dent’s homer — Oct. 2, 1978In a one-game tiebreaker at Fenway, the Yankees trailed but Dent, a light-hitter, hit a three-run homer over the Green Monster to propel New York to a 5-4 win.
• Dave Roberts’ steal — Oct. 17, 2004Facing elimination down 0–3 in the ALCS, Boston’s Roberts pinch-ran in the ninth, stole second and helped spark the rally that ultimately erased a 3-0 deficit in the series.
• Aaron Boone’s walk-off — Oct. 16, 2003In Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS, Boone launched a walk-off homer in the 11th inning off Tim Wakefield to send the Yankees to the World Series.
• Curt Schilling’s bloody sock / A-Rod glove slap — Oct. 19, 2004During Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS, pitching through injury, Schilling had blood seeping through his sock. Meanwhile, Alex Rodriguez slapped his glove after a weird baserunning play, sparking protests from Red Sox manager Terry Francona.
• Pedro Martinez tosses Don Zimmer — Oct. 11, 2003In Game 3 of the 2003 ALCS, Martinez grabbed the 72-year-old Yankees coach Don Zimmer and threw him to the ground after Zimmer charged him. The image became one of the rivalry’s iconic flashpoints.

Position-by-position breakdown

MLB.com’s preview notes that the Yankees hold advantages in power hitting, led by Aaron Judge, and starting pitching depth, while Boston’s bullpen and infield defense could tilt in their favor. The series could hinge on whether New York’s lineup can solve Crochet and Bello early, or if Boston’s young rotation steals momentum in the Bronx.

The Wild Card countdown begins

According to the Associated Press, the Yankees finished the regular season 94-68, identical to last year’s mark, but lost the AL East title to Toronto on a tiebreaker. They’ll now face their fiercest rival, the Red Sox, who finished 89-73 to claim the final postseason spot.

Game 1 features New York’s Max Fried (19-5) against Boston’s Garrett Crochet (18-5), two of the game’s premier left-handers. Game 2 is set for Carlos Rodón (18-9) against Boston’s Brayan Bello (11-9), with a potential Game 3 matching rookie Cam Schlittler (4-3) for Boston against Yankees right-hander Lucas Giolito (10-4).

Boston dominated the season series, going 9-4 against New York, including 5-2 at Yankee Stadium. Crochet himself went 3-0 with a 3.29 ERA against the Yankees. But New York enters October hot, riding an eight-game winning streak to close out the season.

The Yankees and Red Sox have met 24 times in the postseason, splitting those games evenly. The Yankees won the 1999 and 2003 AL Championship Series, while the Red Sox took the 2004 ALCS, the 2018 Division Series, and the 2021 Wild Card Game.

Yankees gameday forecast