Red Sox, Yankees Open AL Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium

The American League Wild Card Series begins Tuesday with four best-of-three matchups, headlined by the Boston Red Sox visiting the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. The rivals meet in the postseason for the second consecutive year after New York won last year's series two games to one.

Game 1 is scheduled for Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, with Game 2 Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on the same platforms. A deciding Game 3 would be played Thursday if necessary. All three games take place in the Bronx.

“Everything is on the line. After leading the American League in wins this season, Sonny Gray gets the ball for Boston on Wednesday night, while star left-hander Max Fried takes the mound for New York.”

New York enters with a pitching advantage. Right-hander Cam Schlittler, a leading AL Cy Young candidate with a 1.95 ERA, is lined up for Game 1. Max Fried is expected to start Game 2 for the Yankees, while Boston plans to start Sonny Gray in Game 2.

Aaron Judge's availability remains uncertain for New York. The three-time MVP has been sidelined by a right calf strain that ended his regular season early, after he already missed more than three months with a broken rib.

Boston reached the playoffs following a dramatic midseason turnaround. The Red Sox were 32-46 and 15 1/2 games behind in the AL East on June 24 before firing manager Alex Cora in April. Interim replacement Chad Tracy recently had the interim tag removed.

In the other AL series, the Chicago White Sox face the Houston Astros at Daikin Park. Houston won the AL West despite an 81-81 record, while Chicago became the first team to reach the playoffs after consecutive 100-loss seasons.