The Boston Red Sox clinched the season series over their rival New York Yankees last month, but they will not get the last laugh in the midst of a September playoff race.
After clinching the current series with a 5-3 win on Saturday, New York (83-65) will look to finish a sweep when it goes head-to-head with Boston (81-68) and ace left-hander Garrett Crochet (15-5, 2.57 ERA) on Sunday evening.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs to lead the Yankees on Saturday, bringing him within one long ball of becoming just the third player in franchise history to produce a 30-homer, 30-stolen base season.
"(The milestone) would mean a lot if we win the division with it, if I feel like I helped the team a lot and it helped us win," Chisholm said.
While the Yankees remain three games behind the first-place Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East, this weekend's results have offered some cushion -- now 2 1/2 games -- in the wild-card race.
Will Warren (8-6, 4.22) takes the ball for New York in Sunday's finale.
Warren, who is 1-1 with an 8.68 ERA in his two starts against the Red Sox this season and in his career, has recorded back-to-back no-decisions. He struck out five while allowing two runs on just two hits over the first six innings of New York's eventual 12-2 Tuesday loss to the Detroit Tigers.
Sunday's two starting pitchers also matched up on Aug. 23 as the Red Sox won their third straight contest to begin a four-game set in the Bronx. Crochet's 11 strikeouts over seven innings of one-run ball led Boston to a 12-1 victory. Warren allowed five runs on seven hits in four frames.
Things have changed over this weekend, however.
"All these games are super important -- to get another win in this place, obviously against a really good opponent, and Crochet waiting tomorrow," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "This was a good one to get, and hopefully we can go out and finish out a great series."
The Red Sox certainly feel good about their chances to salvage the series with Crochet taking the mound, but a 3-for-31 offensive effort with runners in scoring position over the last three games and leaving eight runners on base Saturday proved mighty costly.
The hit column was 10-10 on Saturday, as three Boston players had multi-hit games and both Alex Bregman and Jarren Duran homered. It was not enough.
Since Roman Anthony was sidelined with a strained oblique, the Red Sox are just 3-6.
Now, the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros are nipping at their heels in the playoff race, with the Texas Rangers just two games behind.
"There's a lot of stuff going on and we have to play better," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. "I'm not saying we're in a bad spot, but I think we have to wait to see if October is part of this."
Crochet bounced back from a season-worst start -- allowing seven runs and nine hits to the Cleveland Guardians on Sept. 2 -- to scatter three hits over seven shutout frames with 10 strikeouts in a Monday win over the Athletics.
The 26-year-old leads the majors with 228 strikeouts in 185 1/3 innings. He has now worked seven innings in four of his last seven starts, fanning double-digit batters in two of them.
"One run feels like five when he's pitching," shortstop Trevor Story said. "He had the good stuff (in his last start). ... He bounced back after a tough start last time. Like I've said all year, that's what the big boys do. That's what the aces do."
Crochet is 2-0 with a 2.52 ERA in six appearances (three starts, all this season) against the Yankees in his career.
--Field Level Media
