Yankees vs. Red Sox series prediction: Rookie sensation makes a splash

Here we go again.One year after the Yankees defeated the Red Sox in the 2025 Wild Card Round, the two eternal rivals will duke it out in another best-of-3 series in The Bronx.The Yankees are a -170 favorite to win the series at DraftKings Sportsbook, and they are -149 to win Game 1 on Tuesday night.While it’s not a surprise to see these two teams in the playoffs, they both dealt with plenty of adversity throughout the 162-game marathon.Boston got off to a 10-17 start, which controversially cost Alex Cora his job as manager, then lost Roman Anthony and Garrett Crochet to injuries.The BoSox were 14 games under .500 on June 18 (29-43).

It looked like the season was over at Fenway Park, but the Red Sox then flipped the script with a summer-long heater and even put some pressure on the Rays and Yankees before cooling off down the stretch.The Yankees were never under threat of missing the postseason, but they dealt with a litany of bad breaks throughout the campaign.Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge have barely played, Max Fried and Carlos Rodon have been on and off the injured list, and impact players like Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham have also spent time on the shelf.Judge is a doubt to play at all in the best-of-three, while the best-case scenario is that Grisham and Stanton play part-time roles.While there is plenty of uncertainty with both offenses, each team will fancy their chances this October thanks to their starting rotations.The Yankees will throw Cam Schlittler, the overwhelming favorite to win the Cy Young, followed by Fried and Gerrit Cole.

It’s hard to better that, especially with Carlos Rodon ready and waiting to provide long relief if any of the starters struggle.That said, the Red Sox will also be counting on their arms to be the difference-makers in this series and the postseason.

Standout rookie Payton Tolle, former Yankee Sonny Gray, and seasoned postseason starter Ranger Suarez are almost certain to get the assignments in the Bronx for Cha...