Yankees, Red Sox AL Wild Card Game preview, odds, more

Major League Baseball’s greatest rivalry reaches a stage not seen for 43 years as the New York Yankees head to Fenway Park to meet the Boston Red Sox in the single-elimination American League Wild Card Game on Tuesday night (8:08 p.m. ET).

This will be the sixth time ever that the two hated rivals meet in the postseason and just the second time that it will come in a one-game playoff. While the Red Sox have defeated the Yankees in their two most recent meetings (2004 ALCS, 2018 ALDS), the Yankees took the first three (1978, 1999 ALCS, 2003 ALCS), including the one-game playoff in ’78 that will forever be remembered for Bucky Dent’s improbable game-winning home run.

While the Red Sox are the top-seeded Wild Card team this time around, the matchup with the Yankees were as close to a dead-heat as possible as the clubs will fight for a spot in the American League Divisional Series against another division rival in the Tampa Bay Rays.

Here is how the two stacked up against each other this season:

Yankees vs. Red Sox 2021 stats

YANKEES	2021 Head-2-Head Stats	RED SOX
9	Wins	10
74	Runs Scored	75
.244	Batting Average	.241
16	Home Runs	18
.334	On-Base Percentage	.296
.365	Slugging Percentage	.388
.700	OPS	.684
3.70	ERA	3.72
158	Strikeouts	187
1.220	WHIP	1.358

On paper, the Red Sox look to have a significant offensive edge when looking at the two teams’ performances during the 2021 season.

Boston was tied for fourth in the majors with an average of 5.12 runs scored per game and had the third-best team batting average at .261 and OPS at .777. The Yankees ranked 19th in runs scored per game, 23rd in batting average, and 13th in OPS.

But loaded lineups on either side ensure that those season-long stats can be thrown out the window for a one-night affair at Fenway:

Who’s hot?

Rafael Devers, 3B, Red Sox

Last 15 games: .328/.358/.563 (.931 OPS), 4 HR, 10 RBI
2021 stats: .279/.352/.538 (.890 OPS), 38 HR, 113 RBI
’21 stats vs. Yankees: .250/.316/.500 (.816 OPS), 5 HR, 18 RBI

Giancarlo Stanton, DH, Yankees

Last 28 games: .898 OPS, 10 HR, 26 RBI
2021 stats: .273/.354/.516 (870 OPS), 35 HR, 97 RBI
’21 stats vs. Red Sox: .841 OPS, 4 HR, 14 RBI

Bobby Dalbec, 1B, Red Sox

Last 24 games: .928 OPS, 7 HR, 17 RBI
2021 stats: .792 OPS, 25 HR, 78 RBI
’21 stats vs. Yankees: .455 OPS, 2 HR, 4 RBI

Aaron Judge, RF, Yankees

Last 12 games: .325/.420/.700 (1.120 OPS), 4 HR, 13 RBI
2021 stats: .916 OPS, 39 HR, 98 RBI
’21 stats vs. Red Sox: .850 OPS, 2 HR, 7 RBI

On the mound

The pitching matchup should be a dandy as Yankees ace Gerrit Cole opposes Red Sox veteran Nathan Eovaldi — a hero of the team’s run to a 2018 World Series triumph.

There are some question marks surrounding the effectiveness of Cole as the All-Star has yielded 15 earned runs (7.64 ERA) over his last three starts.

He usually saves his best stuff for the bright lights of the postseason, though, as he owns an 8-4 career record to go with a 2.68 ERA in the playoffs.

However, Cole saw the Red Sox once in the postseason, three years ago in the 2018 ALCS when he was a member of the Houston Astros. In Game 3 of that series, he was tagged for five runs (four earned) on six hits in six innings of work which ultimately translated to a 7-5 loss.

Eovaldi has postseason experience facing the Yankees, spinning a gem in Game 3 of the 2018 ALDS when he allowed just one run on five hits while striking out five and walking zero over seven innings of work in a Red Sox 16-1 victory. They ultimately went on to win the series on their way to the title.