Boston Red Sox ALDS: The New York Yankees are coming to town

The AL Wild Card game has set the stage for the Boston Red Sox, Friday night. It’s been 14 years since the last time Boston and New York met in the post-season.

After 108 wins, the stage is finally set for the 2018 Boston Red Sox. The moment we’ve all been waiting for. The opportunity to put aside the past two post-season runs which have ended with the Red Sox winning just one game and advancing zero times.

The New York Yankees took care of business with a Wild Card victory over the Oakland Athletics, Wednesday night. 7 runs through 9.0 innings of baseball was more than enough for New York to clinch their ticket to Boston for the ALDS.

As the 54,000 in Yankee Stadium shouted, “we want Boston!”, they got it and we want them.

However it’s been a while since these two iconic rivals met in October. In fact the last time they did, many in today’s roster weren’t even signed by the organization yet. 14 years. That’s the last time Boston and New York squared off in the playoffs.

It was the very series that altered the organization itself and sparked perhaps the greatest comeback in sports history.

The infamous blown 3-0 lead that ended an 86 year drought and ended the aching “curse”.

Fast-forward 14 years later and here we stand in a much different situation. The expectation level has risen with Boston having not seen the ALCS since 2008.

That was three managers ago and at the point in which Dustin Pedroia was named the League’s MVP.

Friday night is Boston’s first night in a journey towards redemption. Delivering and capitalizing off the momentum from an all-time franchise record in wins and the tug a war battle for MVP between Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez.

All regular season the Boston Red Sox have delivered however the ultimate test begins this week.

The many questions that have been raised throughout the historical 162-game season, will be answered. Will the offense show up? Can the young core handle the spotlight? Will David Price, Chris Sale, and Rick Porcello come through? All valid questions and concerns that will come to play against the Yankees.

The starting pitching

Boston pitching ranked 8th among all major league teams with a combined 3.75 ERA which is just two slots ahead of the Yankees, who came in 10th with a 3.78 ERA. However that very ranking may be deceiving considering the poor history that has been Chris Sale, Rick Porcello, and David Price in the playoffs. The ERA’s speak for themselves with Sale at 8.38 (0-2), Porcello at 5.47 (0-3), and Price at 5.03 (2-8). Those two wins from Price were also in the relief role. That’s a combined zero wins through 30 post-season games.

Yet I remain hopeful with this Boston Red Sox team entering this match up.

In fact we can even dig deeper into the the statistics against the very offense in which these three arms will be facing in round one.

Let’s begin with Chris Sale.

Throughout his nine-year career, Sale has a career ERA of 1.61 in 17 games against the New York Yankees. New York batters hit .189 against Sale on the mound as well. However the concern rises in the fact that Chris Sale, also known as our Ace, hasn’t surpassed 5.0 innings on the mound since July 27. That’s two straight months of no quality starts taking place, heading into October baseball.

Now Rick Porcello.

A career 3.11 ERA and 2.31 ERA in 2018 against the New York Yankees. Porcello went 23.1 innings in 4 starts. The very offense he will face only hit .143 against Porcello this past season. Perhaps a sought after factor in this round 1 series.

David Price has to show up

Last but not least, David Price.

More from Chowder and Champions

• 3 Midseason Chaim Bloom Decisions That Have Killed the 2023 Red Sox
• 10 Patriots Who Will Be Cut by Tuesday’s Roster Deadline
• MLB Screws Red Sox Fans With Broadcast for Mookie Betts Return
• 3 Most Underpaid Celtics Heading Into the 2023 Season
• Red Sox Continue Rollercoaster Season With Massive Win

It was a conflicting year for Price who faces his biggest challenge yet in a Boston Red Sox uniform. To say the Yankees have Price’s number would be an understatement. This season New York hitters bat .309 with 9 home runs and 21 runs scored against Price; leaving his ERA at 10.34 versus the pinstripes.

Now, let’s give credit where credit is due. Price made a huge step in the second half, proving to be among the league’s most dominant arms following the All-Star break. That streak consisted of a 6-1 stretch in which Price posted a 2.25 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 68.0 innings pitched. Let’s hope that very momentum can be carried into an October emergence, ending the talks from all critics in town.

The offense will get theirs

Another factor we must recognize is the fact that this go around, Boston has a legit offense on the field. Unlike last season where they finished dead last among all of baseball. The 2018 revived Red Sox saw pure rejuvenation, finishing first among all teams with 876 runs, first with a .268 batting average, and first with 1,509 total base hits. That’s a major difference to the lackluster 2017 lineup.

With two MVP contending hitters in the lineup, be sure to look for the 2018 Red Sox offense to put together rallies against New York’s arms. Much like we saw in the August 6 rally against Aroldis Chapman.

Again, I have high hopes for Boston and their hunt this post-season.

While the Boston Red Sox are 10-9 against the Yankees in 2018, they are also 55-21 in games played at Fenway Park. Goes to show how significant of a factor the home field advantage which Boston didn’t have in 2016 or 17 can be in October. The journey begins Friday night at 7:32 PM EST.