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Trysta Krick of SportsPulse catches Ted Berg of For The Win and Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports, who give us their predictions for this year's baseball playoffs.
USA TODAY & # 39; HUI

Red Sox offensive player Mookie Betts marks a race against the Yankees in May.(Photo: Adam Hunger, USA Today Sports)

This one could be a classic.

For the first time in the wild card era of Major League Baseball, the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees meet in the best of five division series of the American League.

High-level rivals have clashed three times in the league championship series (1999, 2003 and 2004), but the short series format is a totally different challenge for two teams that have won 100 games this season.

Each team has a few question marks around its launch, and this series announces fierce. Boston finished first overall and slugging percentage, while the Yankees finished second in both categories. In 19 games between the teams, they combined 218 points, an average of more than 11 per game.

Here are the keys to the victories of each team in this series:

The Red Sox must keep the Yankees in the pack

This is of course a lot easier to say than to do considering the fact that the Yankees have set the major league record for home runs in a season. Still, most Boston starters have done a good job with their rival this season. Rick Porcello conceded a 23rd goal against the Yankees this season, Chris Sale conceded one in 13 and Nathan Eovaldi did not let New York go in sixteen. David Price, however, dropped nine out of four starts.

The Yankees must enter the Boston market

If there is one area of ​​the Red Sox that does not inspire confidence, it is the team's rescue corps. The Boston office has struggled on the last stretch and its record of 4.84 in September is the worst in the American League. Craig Kimbrel even made a difficult pass by posting a 4.57 ERA in the second half. Dirty having not launched six races since the beginning of July, the Red Sox may need to rebuild several rounds even when their ace is on the hill.

The Red Sox have to run

Boston finished third in the majors with 125 flights and we will have to maintain the pressure in this series. Yankees receiver Gary Sanchez is one of the best baseball players, but he has been vulnerable this year, allowing runners to fly at a 70% success rate. He also led the majors with 18 balls gone, while he played only 76 games.

The Yankees must steal a win against Sale or Price

Sale has dominated the Yankees twice this season, allowing one point with 19 strikeouts in 13 innings. Although Price's post-season struggles are well-documented (5.03% points in 71 innings), he has pitched as his former player in the second half and should start match 2. The Yankees must win one. of the two in Boston to regain the advantage on their court with potentially favorable confrontations against Porcello and Eovaldi in the Bronx.

Schedule of the series:

  • Game 1: Friday, Boston, TBS, 7:32
  • Game 2: Saturday in Boston, TBS, 8:15
  • Game 3: Monday, Yankees, TBS
  • Fourth match (if necessary): Tuesday, Yankees, TBS
  • Game 5 (if necessary): Thursday, October 11 in Boston, TBS

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