Loading...
One of Major League Baseball’s greatest rivalries renews for the 2025 season when the New York Yankees host the Boston Red Sox this weekend in the Bronx. This three-game set is the first three of 13 games between the long-time rivals. New York, the defending American League champions, narrowly won last season’s series over the Red Sox, 7-6.
Let’s break down each team’s season performance to date while previewing the second game in the weekend series, which takes place tonight at 7:35 PM ET on FOX and make our Red Sox @ Yankees pick.
The Red Sox were picked by many to make the playoffs, win the American League, and even take home a fifth World Series crown this century. At this point, making it to last year’s 81-81 final record may be a stretch. Boston is 30-34 and in fourth place in the AL East, sitting 9.5 games behind New York.
The team is batting .254, which is second in the American League behind the Yankees, but the team is last in the league in fielding with a .977 percentage and a league-worst 55 errors. The bullpen has blown 14 saves, more than any team in the majors, and its 17 losses by one run also lead the league.
Alex Bregman (.299, 11 HR, 35 RBIs) had been as advertised after signing a three-year, $120 million contract just ahead of the season, but he is currently on the IL with a quad injury. The team has gone just 4-8 since he exited the lineup.
Rafael Devers, the three-time All-Star, has had a cumbersome season, but he is getting hotter and hotter at the plate. His 54 RBIs lead the majors, and he is batting .285 with 12 home runs while posting a .914 OPS. Jarren Duran has again been a sparkplug at the top of the lineup. He’s tied for third in the Majors in hits and tied for first with six triples. The rest of the lineup has been inconsistent at best.
Tonight’s starter, Garrett Crochet, has been the lone shining light on the mound. After coming to the Red Sox in an offseason trade, the 25-year-old lefthander is finally healthy and living up to the hype. He is 5-4 with a 1.98 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 101 strikeouts in 82 innings pitched.
The Bronx Bombers came close to the first World Series title in 15 years last fall. The team is primed to make another run at the crown again this season and is off to a hot start. With last night’s 4-0 blanking of the Cleveland Guardians, the Yankees are 38-23 and 20-10 at home and have won 16-of-22 overall.
Aaron Judge is again having a lights-out campaign. The six-time All-Star and reigning AL MVP leads the majors with a .392 batting average and 89 hits. He has 21 home runs, 50 RBIs, a 1.237 OPS and a .485 OBP. He is the early favorite to claim his third overall AL MVP award.
A procession of professional hitters, including Cody Bellinger (.257, 9, 35), Trent Grisham (.244, 13, 26), Ben Rice (.250, 12, 25) and Paul Goldschmidt (.323, 6, 28) lead the way for a squad leading the American League in batting and home runs. Tonight’s starter, Ryan Yarbrough, a 6’5” journeyman converted reliever, the lefthander has sparkled in five starts in which he has allowed two runs or fewer in each outing.
On paper, the Yankees should be primed for a sweep against the stumbling Sox, but the same was thought last season when the two teams battled to a near draw.
Boston may not win tonight, but Crochet should have another strong outing on the mound in his first start against the Yankees in a Boston uniform. He has gone at least 5.0 innings in all 13 of his starts, and he is coming off a sparkling performance in a 3-1 win over the Atlanta Braves on Sunday, where he allowed 1 run on 5 hits and struck out a season-high 12 batters in seven innings in a 3-1 victory.
Crochet is averaging 8.0 strikeouts per start right now, and those numbers have lifted slightly to 9.0 per start in his last five starts. Boston will need him to be lights out again, so look for him to record 8+ strikeouts tomorrow.
Brian has been writing about sports professionally for 25 years, specializing in the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, men's college basketball and football, and soccer. He covered high school, collegiate and professional sports in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area for two decades. His written work has appeared in several print and online publications since 1999.