The Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees headline the wild-card race in the American League.

Both teams trail the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East, though the focus will be on each other entering a four-game weekend series at Yankee Stadium with major playoff implications.

New York pushes back toward October as the reigning American League champion, but the Red Sox are in striking distance for the first time in four years.

Boston last made the playoffs in 2021 and the last three summers saw the team drop off from meaningful competition in August. That's not the case this year as the Red Sox offer a talented ballclub primed for October.

It's fair to say the last time the Red Sox played a series with implications like this also came against the Yankees back in late September 2021. New

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