Boston Red Sox: Yankees series is a must win beyond bragging rights

Just days before their final regular-season series against the New York Yankees in 2021, the Boston Red Sox are looking at several possibilities. Right now, the team sits at the top of the Wild Card standings in the American League, and the Yankees are currently out of the playoff picture.

However, all that can change if the team somehow ends up in a free fall, similar to New York, who has not been the same since a long-ago 13-game winning streak. With Game 1 set for Friday, both franchises are looking at this series as a critical point towards determining postseason standings.

Though Boston has a date with the Mets before their rival’s arrival, the importance cannot be overlooked, if for no other reason than a disastrous series can lead to a winter without having been part of the postseason, a fate that no Red Sox fan inside or outside the state of Massachusetts can bear to endure.

Still, it would be worth noting that the Red Sox have been on a hot run recently, albeit against the Baltimore Orioles. A sweep, compounded by an 8-6 win on Sunday, has been both a confidence builder and a resume enhancer as the postseason nears.

There’s more than bragging rights on the line between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees in their final regular-season series of 2021.

Make no mistake about it, the Red Sox have a lot more to play for than the Yankees, despite arguments being made that the opposite is true. Furthermore, like almost every time these two get together, it’s all about the pitching. The runs matter, but it comes down to pitching.

Case in point, the Yankees giving up an astonishing 22 runs in their last two games against the Cleveland Indians. While they can certainly recuperate and recover against the Texas Rangers, the pitching, or lack thereof, was just appalling.

Boston has no room to celebrate either. An 8-6 win in their last game against the Orioles is closer than it was supposed to be, given how the Red Sox had only given up four runs in the previous two games.

The day will soon arrive when both teams take the mound, and the best team will walk away with not only bragging rights but an edge on the postseason. Boston first has to deal with New York’s other team, while the Yankees must deal with Texas. Still, this upcoming weekend series has a lot on the line.