When it comes to the Red Sox versus the Yankees, the past is always a primary theme. Very often, it even dominates the present, and for good reason. The curse, the comeback, the history, the fights and the ever-growing list of October showdowns resonate through every match.
But this evening, it is also the future that collides with the present. Payton Tolle, 23, faces Cam Schlittler, 25, in a game poised to be the opening salvo in the next era of epic baseball between Boston and New York. Both are young, both are flamethrowers, and both seem likely to be at or near the top of each of these rotations in the years to come. Tonight, they will face off in a clash of titans where the winner will instantly push the opposing team to the brink of elimination. Such is life in a best-of-three Wild Card series.
As for the lineup, the Red Sox will have Roman Anthony leading the way, but they have him at DH instead of left field. That means Jarren Duran is in left — where he missed a huge play in Game 2 last year at Yankee Stadium — and if Chad Tracy hits late for Duran, they’ll have to shuffle the roster to realign the game. That’s a big story to watch for late.
Also note, Adley Rutschman beats second ahead of Willson Contreras and Wilyer Abreu. This will create some very interesting platoon decisions for the Yankees when Schlitter runs out of gas, as Rutschman has looked better on the right side lately. I also find Caleb Durbin interesting at number nine ahead of the Anthony, Rutschman and Contreras portion of the lineup.
Meanwhile, the Yankees will face Anthony Volpe against Jazz Chisholm at second base, Spencer Jones against Trent Grisham in center field and Amed Rosario against Ryan McMahon at third base. I would expect a lot of mixing and matching here if the Red Sox bring a righty into the game. The Yankees have opted for a 16th position player on the postseason roster, so there will be no shortage of combinations they can turn to as the innings progress.
These storylines, and many others that haven’t even hatched yet, are about to unfold over the next few hours. Hold on to your butt! Red Sox vs. Yankees starts now!
⚾️ First pitch: 8:00 p.m. — Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York (hell).
📺 TV: NBC (and streaming on Peacock)
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