The rivalry is back in October. Yankees and Red Sox open their best-of-three Wild Card Series Tuesday at Yankee Stadium, 8 p.m. Eastern, and it opens with an ace on the mound for New York.
Cam Schlittler gets the ball for Game 1, and he’s earned it — a 1.95 ERA this season, third-best in Yankees history, with 239 strikeouts across 33 starts. He was even better down the stretch: a 1.17 ERA over his final nine outings. Across town, Boston counters with rookie left-hander Payton Tolle, who’s no pushover himself — a 3.03 ERA, 171 strikeouts, and a stingy 1.10 WHIP in his first big-league season.
If New York wins Tuesday, Max Fried starts Game 2 against Sonny Gray. If it goes three, Gerrit Cole faces Ranger Suarez in a winner-take-all Thursday.
On paper, Schlittler’s the best pitcher in this series, and that edge should be enough to get the Yankees past Boston in two.
Comments