Boston @ New York Game Overview

Now it gets real.

Crochet (Red Sox) and Fried (Yankees) delivered after being acquired in the offseason to become staff aces at the center of baseball's most historic rivalry, and the left-handers find themselves front and center as Game 1 starters in the American League wild-card series starting Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium.

The AL East archrivals fight it out in the wild-card round for the first time and best-of-three series winner advances to the division series.

The last time the Red Sox were in the playoffs (2021), a full wild-card round didn't exist. The Yankees won the AL East and a bye to avoid this round in 2022 and 2024.

Signed to an eight-year, $218 million contract in December, Fried led the majors with 19 wins, helping the Yankees overcome the loss of injured right-hander Gerrit Cole to finish a 94-win season with a 3.61 ERA from their starting staff, third among playoff teams and first among AL postseason qualifiers.

"He's had an outstanding season. He's been a great pitcher in this league now for a while," New York manager Aaron Boone said Monday. "That being said, you're one of the big free agents out there, you come to New York, that can be a challenging and daunting thing. He's handled it so well, so seamlessly."

Fried ended the season 6-0 with a 1.55 ERA in his final seven starts as the Yankees made a late run at the division title and secured the first wild-card spot. His strong finish was well-timed for the pennant chase and came on the heels of an eight-start stretch in which Fried was 3-3 with a 6.80 ERA from July 1-Aug. 16.

Fried's hot stretch began against Boston.

He pitched six scoreless innings and allowed four hits to Boston in a 1-0 home loss on Aug. 22. He also was 1-1 with a 1.96 ERA over 18 1/3 innings in three starts against the Red Sox.

Postseason gravity isn't new to Fried. With Atlanta, he was 5-6 with a 5.10 ERA in 20 appearances (12 starts), including a win in Game 6 of the 2021 World Series as the Braves beat the Houston Astros for the championship.

"I think any time you take the ball in the postseason is important," Fried said on Monday. "The first one obviously you want to get off to a good start, but every single game means a ton. Between me and everyone else, we have a job to do, and it's go out there and win."

Containing Red Sox slugger Alex Bregman, who was 4-for-6 off him this season and is 5-for-9 lifetime in their matchups, is a critical focus for Fried. He held Trevor Story to one hit in nine at-bats and leadoff hitter Jarren Duran hitless in six at-bats this season.

The Red Sox attempted to sign Fried but their shift to Plan B grades out as an A-plus to date.

Boston acquired Crochet from the Chicago White Sox on Dec. 11. Crochet won 18 games his first season in Boston and led the majors with 255 strikeouts, the most by a Red Sox pitcher since Chris Sale -- another power lefty plucked from the White Sox -- fanned 308 in 2017.

Crochet (18-5, 2.59 ERA) cruises into the postseason with momentum of his own.

He won his final four starts, including Sept. 14 against the Yankees in Boston, allowing three runs on five hits in six innings with 12 strikeouts. Crochet finished with eight double-digit strikeout games and fanned 39 in four outings against the Yankees this season.

"I've pitched here twice already this year and faced this lineup four times," Crochet said Monday. "I don't want to say it's comfortable, because it's a tough opposing lineup, but there is a sense of comfort there in just knowing the faces that I'm going to be going up against."

Crochet has done well against MVP candidate Aaron Judge, holding the slugger to two hits in 15 at-bats. Judge homered twice off Crochet but also struck out 10 times, including in each of their first six encounters this season.

"He's a tough matchup, if not one of the best, the best pitcher in the game right now. Probably on his way to a Cy Young," Judge said Sunday after the Yankees ended the regular season with a 3-2 win over Baltimore. "It's impressive what he's done so far this year, and I'm looking forward to facing him."

All three games in the series are played in New York, which finished the season with a better record -- 94 wins compared to Boston's 89 -- than the Red Sox to earn the right to stay home as the playoffs begin.

The Yankees hit .255 against left-handed starters this season. While Boone said he hasn't made many final lineup decisions, he said "probably Goldy" (Paul Goldschmidt) when questioned about how he'll make his call at first base in Game 1.

"Still weighing it," Boone said Monday.

Ben Rice would be supplanted by Goldschmidt at first and third baseman Ryan McMahon could be replaced by speedster Jose Caballero or Amed Rosario, who is 5-for-8 against Crochet this season.

Boone said the Yankees' pitching rotation following Fried would likely be left-hander Carlos Rodon in Game 2. If the series requires a third game, right-hander Cam Schlittler, who grew up in Massachusetts and attended Northeastern University, could start for New York.

Looking ahead, Cora said right-hander Lucas Giolito won't be on the roster for the wild-card round due to an elbow injury. Giolito had been expected to take the ball Thursday but instead was in Alabama visiting the orthopedic surgeon who performed his right arm surgery in 2024.

Brayan Bello, who has a 5-4 record and 2.35 ERA in 65 innings over 11 career starts against the Yankees, will get the ball for Boston in Game 2 on Wednesday.

--Larry Fleisher, Field Level Media