Thursday in New York marks the start of a crucial series between the Red Sox and the Yankees. In the American League East standings, both clubs are five games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in first place, but the series represents an opportunity for either team to move up to third or second place.
Joel Sherman, an MLB source, thinks the Yankees will use the four-game set as a yardstick for five reasons.
Sherman points out that the Red Sox manager Alex Cora is disliked by the Yankees because he was the bench coach of the Houston Astros in 2017, who eliminated the Yankees from the postseason, before the Red Sox defeated New York in the Wild Card round in Cora’s first season as manager.
He is aware that he irritates the Yankees, and he aggressively takes advantage of any opportunity to divert attention and aggravate the Yankees during games, Sherman stated.
Although the Boston squad this year has so far beaten its old adversary, the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry peaked in the early 2000s. As the Yankees watched their 10-game winning streak come to an end, the Red Sox accomplished a sweep of the Yankees at Fenway Park in June and went on a brief run to regain their position.
The Red Sox rallied to close the gap in the standings while the Yankees fell, and this series might make all the difference as the season comes to an end.
