Yankees vs. Red Sox: The AL Wild Card Series blog

Cam Schlittler and his 'receipts'

Cam Schlittler drew some of his motivation before last season's dominant performance in the deciding third game of the AL Wild Card series against Boston from social media, talking afterward about some of the uglier posts from Red Sox fans that involved threats against his family.

Schlittler, on the eve of his start in Game 1 of this best-of-three series, indicated he has done the same in advance of Tuesday night.

“I wouldn't say I'm always on my phone looking for that stuff. At the same time, I don't really live under a rock as well,” Schlittler said Monday afternoon before the Yankees worked out at the Stadium. “Found ways to use that to my advantage. I think I'm good at keeping receipts. At the end of the day, I'm locked into going in there tomorrow and doing my job.”

So, a reporter asked, does Schlittler already have a “receipt” or two in tow for Tuesday night?

“Again, I don't live under a rock,” the 25-year-old righthander said. “I mean, there's always going to be motivation, fuel. At the same time, I'm not too worried about any of that. I feel like I did a good job proving that last year, and I expect to go out there tomorrow and do the same thing."

Is it safe to say that you’ve collected a few receipts in advance of the start?

“Close to the same question, but again,” Schlittler, smiling widely, said to laughter from the assembled reporters. “Yeah, we'll see. Again, my mind's on tomorrow and the game. I don't (have) to look too far to motivate myself, and I trust the guys in this locker room to go out there and compete to their best ability.”

Schlittler has done that through the season, going 14-6 with a league-low 1.95 ERA. He was especially tough on the Red Sox, going 2-1 with a 0.74 ERA in four starts.

From Chipotle to Yankee Stadium, what a year for Spencer Jones

On the eve of his first Yankees-Red Sox October showdown, Spencer Jones was asked where he was a year ago when the two teams clashed in the Wild Card Series.

“I was driving home from Scranton,” Jones said Monday, referring to the Yankees’ Triple-A outpost. “I was watching it on my iPad, my girlfriend and I, and we watched Cam pitch Game 3. So that was my experience in the postseason last year.”

Jones quickly pointed out that both he and his girlfriend were taking turns driving, so whoever was behind the wheel had their eyes primarily on the road.

“I remember we stopped at Chipotle and watched a couple of innings,” Jones said.

Jones wrapped up a solid rookie season, hitting .245 with 11 homers, 40 RBIs and a .742 OPS in 86 games. Perhaps most impressive, Jones showed that he wasn’t just a platoon player, batting .389 (21-for-54) with a 1.107 OPS against lefthanders.

“I think it comes down to the work that we’ve done behind the scenes in the cages,” Jones said. “The stuff that we talk about in meetings, conversations I have with other hitters. We have a lot of really good lefthanded hitters on this team and they’ve been able to help me refine my approach - just kind of go up there and be confident in what I got to do.”

Aaron Judge is in it for the long haul this postseason

Aaron Judge, out with a right calf strain, all but guaranteed to Yankees fans Monday they will see him at some point this postseason.

And if not in the upcoming wild-card round – something the three-time AL MVP still isn’t ruling out – then after. Which, in essence, was the club's captain stating unequivocably his belief the Yankees will be moving on to the ALDS.

“I think the most important thing is just making sure I’m healthy and ready to go for this long stretch, because we’ve got another month of baseball to play,” Judge said before heading out to the Yankee Stadium field to partake in a simulated game. “So I want to be ready for the long run we’re going to go on here for this next month. We’re all going to be smart, but I think they all know I want to be out there, especially in the first game.”

Judge missed three months of the season with a right rib fracture and appeared in all of seven games after his return on Sept. 8 before landing back on the IL on Sept. 19 with the calf strain.

The Yankees played reasonably well without Judge, unlike in past seasons when he’s missed extended time, going 45-39 while he recovered from the rib injury.

During that time, the Yankees brought up two of their heralded prospects, Spencer Jones and George Lombard Jr., both of whom have, at least in the early going of their respective big-league careers, appeared to gain their footing at the sport’s highest level.

“That’s definitely the goal,” Judge said of returning. “I’m busting my butt in the back room to try to do everything I can to get ready and be prepared and be a productive player for the team…no matter what happens this first series, we’ve got a great ballclub. You know, I’ve been out for most of the year, and this team’s picked up the slack…the boys are going to be fine no matter what. But I’d love to be out there in the trenches with them.”

Jazz or Volpe at 2B? 'The platoon stuff is in play'

Last year, a visibly upset Jazz Chisholm Jr. was benched for Game 1 of the Wild Card Series, as manager Aaron Boone opted to go with the rigthy-hitting Amed Rosario against Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet.

On Tuesday, the Yankees will be facing another hard-throwing lefthander, rookie Payton Tolle, and Chisholm said before Monday’s workout that he hadn’t spoken with Boone about the lineup plans for the opener.

“We haven’t had that talk yet,” Chisholm said at his locker. “But I feel like with Boonie, he will come up to me and let me know what’s going on.”

Chisholm batted .218 with a .650 OPS vs. lefties this season, and is 1-for-5 with a home run and two strikeouts against Tolle. Boone could go with Anthony Volpe as a righty option for second base, and the manager said he’s open to the idea of a platoon at the position.

“It’s one of those things I’m considering,” Boone said. “Volpe’s very much in play. The platoon stuff is in play there. Obviously Jazz is just coming back from the thumb (sprain). He was able to get a couple games in. Would have liked another one or two, but the weather didn’t really cooperate this weekend. So Anthony’s put himself very much in the mix to be a part of the equation.”

Chisholm said he expects to be starting Game 1 but understands Boone’s matchup strategy, if that’s the way this plays out.

“It’s playoff baseball, so it’s different,” Chisholm said.

Still, the pending free agent believes in riding with your best players, no matter the time of year.

“That’s what I grew up watching and seeing, you know what I mean?” Chisholm said. “It’s always been that.”

Aaron Boone on Aaron Judge's health

'This guy's a pretty darn good pitcher'

Red Sox manager Chad Tracy, who managed Boston’s Triple-A affiliate Worcester from 2022 until taking over for the fired Alex Cora in late April, recalled seeing the Yankees' Game 1 starter Cam Schlittler a couple of years ago when the pitcher was with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

“My first impression was, this guy’s a pretty darn good pitcher,” Tracy said Monday afternoon.

Schlittler, the presumed AL Cy Young Award winner after going 14-6 with a league-low 1.95 ERA, went 2-1 with a 0.74 ERA in four starts against the Red Sox. All of that on the heels of his historic Game 3 performance against the Red Sox in last year’s wild-card round when he struck out 12 over eight scoreless innings in a 4-0 victory.

“For me, regardless of who you’re facing, your job is grind at-bats, grind at-bats,” Tracy said. “And if it’s an out and you’re able to see six pitches, fine. If it’s a line out, fine. If it’s finding a way to get two people on base, fine. And I don’t think that changes, regardless of who you face. That always plays, right? I just think it becomes even more prevalent when you’re facing really good pitching.”

Willson Contreras expected to be ready for Game 1

Red Sox manager Chad Tracy sounded confident that Willson Contreras, arguably the team's MVP this season, will be a full-go for Tuesday night's Game 1. The All-Star first baseman was dealing with a bruised right hand and finally played Sunday after missing the previous 10 days with the injury.

"You're always monitoring," Tracy said. "As far as this time of year, players are banged up. The adrenaline will kick in tomorrow and guys tend to go. But he's in a good spot ... I think he's ready to go."

Working around the weather

The Yankees planned today's workout time for 3:15 p.m. in the hope that the remnants from the nor'easter would be finished in the Bronx by then.

As for the Red Sox, they had two choices -- either before the Yankees or after -- and they decided to go in the earlier slot. As of now, the tarp is coming off the field, but it's unclear if it will be ready in time for Boston. Also, the Red Sox had Sunday's Game 162 vs. the Cubs moved to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, so their travel itinerary became a bit more complicated at the last minute.

"If we were able to get on the field, great," Red Sox manager Chad Tracy said. "If not, we did have a game yesterday, did a bunch of stuff yesterday and then played. Based on our travel, we left it up to (the players) what they they wanted to do and this is what they preferred."

Yankees-Red Sox ticket prices on the secondary market

Looking to head to the Bronx for the American League Wild Card Series between the Yankees and the Red Sox?

Here’s what ticket prices look like for each of the three games, according to TickPick as of noon Monday.

Game 1, Tuesday, 8 p.m.

Get-in price: $108

Average ticket cost: $360

Game 2, Wednesday, 8 p.m.

Get-in price: $113

Average ticket cost: $400

Game 3 (if necessary), Thursday, 8 p.m.

Get-in price: $112

Average ticket cost: $401

Red Sox set pitching rotation for series

Red Sox manager Chad Tracy announced early Monday afternoon that power lefty Payton Tolle will start Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series, with former Yankee Sonny Gray set for Game 2. If a Game 3 is necessary, it will be Ranger Suarez.

Tolle, 9-6 with a 3.03 ERA in 26 starts this season, went 1-0 with a 0.69 ERA in two starts against the Yankees.

Gray, an AL Cy Young Award candidate, went 18-5 with a 2.72 ERA in 29 starts. He faced the Yankees twice, going 1-0 with a 1.98 ERA.

Suarez went 8-5 with a 3.22 ERA in 28 starts, including 0-6 with a 6.06 ERA in three starts against the Yankees.

The Red Sox were scheduled to work out on the Yankee Stadium field at 1 p.m. Monday but, as of 12:55 p.m., it was still raining in The Bronx and the tarp was on the field.

Yankees and Red Sox meet again in playoffs

The Yankees and Red Sox will square off in the best-of-three American League Wild Card Series a second straight season, with Game 1 scheduled for 8 p.m. Tuesday night at the Stadium.

Game 2 is Wednesday night with Game 3, if necessary, Thursday night.

All games will be played at the Stadium.

It is the first time the long-time rivals have met in back-to-back postseasons since the epic ALCS battles of 2003 and 2004.

The Yankees won in ’03, winning the pennant in a memorable Game 7 at old Yankee Stadium on a walk-off homer by current manager Aaron Boone. That game brought an end to Grady Little’s managerial tenure in Boston and his replacement, Terry Francona, would become a long-time tormentor of the Yankees. That started a year later in the ALCS when the Red Sox became the first, and still only, Major League Baseball club in history to come back from a three-games-to-none deficit to win a series.

Both the Yankees and Red Sox are scheduled to work out this afternoon in The Bronx, weather permitting.

The Red Sox flew to New York late Sunday night from Tampa, Florida. Because of the nor’easter that hammered the East Coast over the weekend, the Red Sox's regular season-finale against the Cubs was moved, as a precautionary move, to Tropicana Field, home of the Rays.

The Red Sox, who have not yet announced their Game 1 starter but will early this afternoon, are scheduled to work out at 1 p.m. The Yankees, who announced Cam Schlittler as their Game 1 starter Sunday afternoon, are scheduled to work out at 3:15 p.m.

Your radio and TV choices for Yankees vs. Red Sox

The Yankees-Red Sox series will be broadcast on NBC and streamed on Peacock in NBC's first season as the TV carrier for all four Wild-Card series.

All season, NBC has used its own play-by-play announcers (with Jason Benetti as the No. 1) and analysts from each team for its MLB slate.

Benetti will call the Yankees-Red Sox series with Joe Girardi moving from the YES booth to the NBC booth as the Yankees-related analyst. The Red Sox will be represented by NESN's Lou Merloni. Former Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo will be the "Inside the Pitch" analyst, giving the hitter's perspective usually from a spot near one of the dugouts. Rizzo also will join Bob Costas from Yankee Stadium for NBC's pregame show.

On the radio side, Dave Sims and Suzyn Waldman will call the games as usual for WFAN. A new wrinkle for this series is Yankees TV play-by-play man on Michael Kay will be doing the national radio broadcast for ESPN. It will be heard locally on 1050 AM, with Game 2 also on 880. Kay will be joined by analysts Eduardo Perez and Tim Kurkjian.

The Yankees-Red Sox playoff history

The rivalry between the Yankees and Red Sox began more than 100 years ago. And since MLB first added wild cards to its postseason format in 1995, the Yankees and Red Sox have met in the playoffs six times before this year's Wild-Card best-of-three series.

Here's how they went:

1999: Yankees win the ALCS, 4-1

Game 3 featured a legendary matchup of pitchers in Roger Clemens vs. Pedro Martinez. The Red Sox handled their business in that game, but the Yankees took care of the series in relatively smooth fashion. Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez was the ALCS MVP with two impressive starts, including the win in Game 5.

2003: Yankees win the ALCS, 4–3

Perhaps the pinnacle of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry over the last few generations of fans, at least from a New York point of view. This series had it all: bench-clearing brouhahas, players tossing coaches to the ground, players hopping outfield fences and fighting with the grounds crew. And that was just Game 3! Eventually, it got to a Game 7 at Yankee Stadium, a night that included three innings of scoreless relief by both Mike Mussina and Mariano Rivera, an eighth-inning rally against Pedro Martinez, and, of course, Aaron "Bleeping" Boone's walkoff homer in the bottom of the 11th inning to send the Yankees to the World Series.

2004: Red Sox win the ALCS, 4-3

The Yankees led this series, 3-0, before Boston made MLB history by becoming the first (and still the only) team to come back and win a postseason series after dropping the first three games. The Red Sox won the World Series that season, ending an 86-year drought and effectively ending "The Curse of the Bambino." 

2018: Red Sox win ALDS, 3–1

Masahiro Tanaka had the lone win for the Yankees in Game 2. But Game 3 saw the Yankees suffer their worst postseason loss in franchise history, a 16-1 drubbing at home.

2021: Red Sox win AL Wild-Card game, 1-0

The Wild-Card round was still just a single game playoff, and the Red Sox took a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Xander Bogaerts hit a two-run homer off Gerrit Cole. The Red Sox never looked back.

2025: Yankees win AL Wild-Card series, 2-1

Cam Schlittler entered the chat. The Massachusetts-born and raised pitcher struck out 12 over eight innings in the Yankees' 4-0 win in Game 3 to beat his hometown team.

Pitching matchups for Yankees-Red Sox series

The Red Sox said they will wait until Monday to announce their pitching rotation for the three-game Wild-Card series with the Yankees.

The Yankees, however, released their rotation on Sunday. 

Game 1: Cam Schlittler (14-6, 1.95 ERA)

Game 2: Max Fried (5-5, 2.80)

Game 3 (if necessary): Gerrit Cole (10-9, 3.61)

Yankees vs. Red Sox wild-card schedule

All games in this best-of-three AL Wild-Card series will be played at Yankee Stadium and broadcast on NBC and its Peacock streaming platform.

Game 1: Tuesday, Sept. 29, 8 p.m.

Game 2: Wednesday, Sept. 30, 8 p.m.

Game 3 (if necessary): Thursday, Oct. 1, TBD

The winning team will face the top-seeded Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS starting on Saturday, Oct. 3. That series will be shown on TBS and HBO Max.