Arguably the most important Red Sox-Yankees series in at least a few years will begin at Fenway Park on Friday.
The two rivals are neck-and-neck in the American League wild card standings entering the three-game set. New York holds a half-game advantage over Boston for the top wild-card spot. Both teams are also still very much in the mix for the division title, but they also need to build some cushion in order to fend off other challengers for the wild-card spot.
So, while this isn’t a playoff series, there’s plenty at stake between the two teams this weekend.