It’s been 11 months since Aaron Judge dropped that fly ball in center field, and the Yankees allowed five unearned runs in Game 5 of the World Series before watching the Los Angeles Dodgers hoist the Commissioner’s Trophy at Yankee Stadium. 11 months later, the Yankees have a shot at redemption.

This postseason is a continuation of last year’s playoffs. These Yankees have something to prove this year. The chip on their shoulder could not be larger. But they won’t get anywhere if they don’t win two games against the Boston Red Sox.

Tonight, at 6:08 PM (5:08 PM CDT), the Yankees will host Boston in Game 1 of a best-of-three American League Wild Card series. The lefty Max Fried (19-5, 2.86 ERA in the regular season) will toe the slab for the Yankees against one of the best southpaws in baseball, Garrett Crochet (18-5, 2.59 ERA in the regular season).

“I’ve never experienced a postseason at Yankee Stadium,” said Fried. “I expect it to be electric.”

Crochet, baseball’s regular-season strikeout leader, won each of his four starts against the Yankees this season while pitching to a 3.29 ERA. He is as tough a customer as anyone pitching this postseason, and the Yankees must do all they can to extend their at-bats against him and try to cash in.

“I’m just going to try my best to treat it as another start,” Crochet said. “The implications are a little bit bigger, but for me, there’s no need to put any excess pressure on it. There’s already a good lineup on the other side, so that’s enough pressure as it is.”

The good news for the Yankees is that their ace, Fried, can contend with Crochet. Fried has filled in wonderfully in the pole position of the Yankees’ rotation this season after Gerrit Cole had to undergo Tommy John surgery. He has established career highs of 195 1/3 innings pitched and a league-leading 19 wins, which is a byproduct of his ability to work deep into games and give his team at least six innings every start. He has also posted a 1.55 ERA in his last seven starts, so he enters tonight’s game riding high.

“He’s been a great pitcher in the league for a while,” said Yankees manager Aaron Boone. “That being said, he was one of the big free agents out there, and to come to New York, that can be a challenging, daunting thing. He’s handled it so well.”

But the postseason is a different animal, especially in New York. In 20 playoff games (12 starts), Fried owns a 5.10 ERA. In his last three postseason starts – two starts against Philadelphia and a third against San Diego – Fried gave up 12 runs in 9 1/3 innings. He may be a World Series champion, but he’s been inconsistent at best in October.

“There’s no guarantee I’m going to have another start,” said Fried. “So, from here on out, this could be the last one. We’re going to kind of empty the tank and leave everything that we have out there.”

Nothing in the regular season matters anymore, though. This is the postseason, and only one thing is guaranteed: The rivalry between New York and Boston will be renewed, and anyone can take this series. The biggest thing for the Yankees tonight will be winning Game 1.

Here’s a look at how the 2025 Yankees match up against their archrivals:

Batting:

The Yankees have the better starting lineup, which stars Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Cody Bellinger. “Those guys, they’re the heartbeat of this team,” Ryan McMahon said. “They’re the big sluggers; they get it done. Coming through when the team needs them the most, you kind of expect it because that’s just who they are to their core.”

Judge, Stanton, and Bellinger have solid stats against lefty pitchers, including the lefty-swinging Bellinger, who offers reverse splits at the plate. However, Judge is 3-for-15 with two home runs and 11 strikeouts against Garrett Crochet this season. Those stats don’t provide a soft-landing spot for the Yankees captain, who is a career .205 hitter in 58 postseason games, with a .159 average with runners in scoring position.

Back in 2018, when the Yankees were facing a 108-win Red Sox team in the ALDS, Aaron Judge played “New York, New York” at Fenway Park after the Yankees won Game 2. The Red Sox won that series and eventually the World Series. Since then, the Yankees haven’t beaten Boston in the playoffs, including a one-game Wild Card series loss at Fenway Park in 2021. Also, Judge has hit just .181 in the postseason since 2018. It’s worth noting that his 1.292 OPS this month is his highest September OPS entering a postseason, but he’s yet to translate a strong September into a successful October.

How does Judge improve? “That’s adjustments at the plate,” Aaron Boone said. “That’s tightening up a routine. That’s learning over the years, how to do the daily grind a little bit better. He’s always looking to, ‘How can I get a little bit better?’ And I think a lot of the great ones do that.”

Judge should receive support from his teammates tonight, including Bellinger, who is 5-for-14 off Crochet this season. Also, Paul Goldschmidt has a .336 average and a .981 OPS against lefties, and Amed Rosario is 6-for-9 with a home run against Crochet.

There are just two hitters in Boston’s lineup – Trevor Story and Wilyer Abreu – with 20+ home runs this season, and they do better against righties. Also, despite his struggles this year, it’s still worth keeping a close eye on the notorious Yankees killer Alex Bregman, along with Romy González and Rob Refsnyder, who are great against lefties. Meanwhile, Boston will be without their star slugger, Roman Anthony, who annihilated the Yankees the last time he visited the Bronx.

Starting Pitching:

For Boston, Garrett Crochet and Brayan Bello make up their rotation, but if the series goes to a third game, the Red Sox have rookies Connelly Early and Payton Tolle waiting in the wings, whom the Yankees haven’t yet faced this season. Lucas Giolito will miss the playoffs with an injury, and Boston has yet to announce their potential Game 3 starter.

For the Yankees, Max Fried is joined by Carlos Rodón at the top of the rotation, and the hard-throwing rookie, Cam Schlittler, is expected to start Game 3. Rodón has been shaky for the Yankees in the playoffs, but this year has been his best season in pinstripes.

Bullpen:

Boston has Garrett Whitlock as their setup man and Aroldis Chapman as their closer. Whitlock has only allowed two runs in 33 games since June 29, and while Chapman wasn’t good in the playoffs when he was a Yankee, he’s had the best season of his career in Boston at age 37, posting a 1.17 ERA and a 37.3 strikeout percentage with 32 saves and a career-best 6.6% walk rate.

But the Yankees have Devin Williams setting up David Bednar, who can contend with Chapman and go multiple innings. Williams had a bad moment in a Wild Card series last season in which he allowed a go-ahead three-run home run with Milwaukee’s season on the line. He was unreliable for the first four months of his Yankees tenure, but he improved in August and excelled in September.

For the Yankees, Luke Weaver will be the third high-leverage arm, with Fernando Cruz getting some chances as well. Tim Hill, Mark Leiter Jr., and Camilo Doval round out the bullpen, and Will Warren will be available as a reliever as well.

Boston has the better bullpen ERA, but the Yankees’ bullpen has been one of the best in baseball in the last two months.

Defense:

Arguably, the Yankees cost themselves a World Series title last year because of their defensive mistakes. This year, they’ve sharpened their defense, particularly in the outfield with Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham, but at first base (Paul Goldschmidt) and third base (Ryan McMahon) as well. McMahon isn’t expected to play tonight because of his offensive struggles, which is concerning because of how valuable he is at the hot pocket with a ground-ball pitcher in Max Fried on the mound and a Boston lineup riddled with speed. Also, Judge has put a limit on his throwing speed and distance since returning from a flexor strain in his throwing arm.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. has been decent for the Yankees at second base this season, but he’s dealing with a wrist injury, and the Yankees won’t play him tonight because he has struggled against left-handed pitching. Nonetheless, Amed Rosario and Anthony Volpe should be able to manage the middle infield, and Volpe has enjoyed better at-bats since receiving a cortisone shot for his shoulder a few weeks ago.

Meanwhile, for Boston, catcher Carlos Narváez is an offensive threat, but he struggles behind the plate. The opposite can be said for Yankees catcher Austin Wells. Also, Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story has seen some defensive struggles this season, but Ceddanne Rafaela and Jarren Duran have operated a great outfield.

If the Yankees master their fundamentals, it will benefit them, but if they mess up defensively, Boston will take advantage and likely win this series. Boston isn’t much better, though, for they lead the league in errors with 116.

Baserunning:

The Yankees have the league’s leader in stolen bases, José Caballero, on their team, but overall, this season, the Yankees have committed plenty of baserunning blunders. Even Caballero has gotten picked off and caught stealing more in September since joining the Yankees at the deadline. Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jasson Domínguez are excellent baserunners in terms of speed, but Chisholm has gotten put out on the base pads plenty of times as well. Meanwhile, Boston has four players with 20+ stolen bases, including Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, and David Hamilton.

Bench:

For the Yankees, JC Escarra has been added to the bench for this series, joining Ben Rice and Jasson Domínguez. Rice might get some starts this postseason, but Boston’s biggest threat off the bench is Hamilton, since he can steal bases.

2025 New York Yankees Regular Season Stats:

BOLD: On NYY Wild Card roster

*Indicates trade acquisition

**Indicates mid-season free agency signing

Head-to-Head Stats:

BOS: 3/12

NYY: 9/12

TONIGHT:

Starting Pitching:

Starting Lineups:

Bench: C Connor Wong, INF David Hamilton, INF Nathaniel Lowe, OF Wilyer Abreu, OF Masataka Yoshida

Bullpen: LHP Aroldis Chapman, LHP Kyle Harrison, LHP Steven Matz, LHP Payton Tolle, LHP Justin Wilson, RHP Zack Kelly, RHP Justin Slaten, RHP Greg Weissert, RHP Garrett Whitlock

Bench: C JC Escarra, INF Jazz Chisholm Jr., INF Ryan McMahon, OF Jasson Domínguez, UT Ben Rice

Bullpen: LHP Tim Hill, RHP David Bednar, RHP Paul Blackburn, RHP Fernando Cruz, RHP Camilo Doval, RHP Mark Leiter Jr., RHP Will Warren, RHP Luke Weaver, RHP Devin Williams

Game Odds (9/30, ESPN Bet): *DISCLAIMER: Do not rely on these odds when placing a bet on this game. Numbers are subject to change. Must be 21+ and physically present in New York, New Jersey, or Missouri to participate. Gambling problem in New York: Call +1-800-8-HOPENY. Gambling problem in New Jersey or Missouri: Call +1-800-GAMBLER.

Umpires:

HP: Junior Valentine
1B: Scott Barry
2B: Mark Ripperger
3B: Dan Iassogna
LF: Gabe Morales
RF: John Libka

AccuWeather Gametime Weather: 77º, Partly Sunny, Wind NNE 9 mph

Schedule

6:08 PM (5:08 PM CDT): 2025 AL Wild Card Series, Game 1 – NYY vs. BOS; ESPN; SP: LHP Garrett Crochet (18-5, 2.59 ERA, 255 K) vs. LHP Max Fried (19-5, 2.86 ERA, 189 K)

GAME NIGHT – 2025 AL Wild Card Series, Game 1: NYY vs. BOS; ESPN