Red Sox-Yankees Wild Card Race Takes Turn With 17 Games Left

When the Boston Red Sox lost three out of four games against the New York Yankees at the end of August, it seemed like the club's hopes for the top American League Wild Card spot were over.

New York won the season series against Boston. So, the Yankees have the tiebreaker in the standings. Plus, Boston ended the series four games behind New York. The reason why it seemed like Boston's hopes for the top Wild Card spot were over was that after that series, it would've taken a five-game swing for the Red Sox to overcome the four-game deficit as well as the tiebreaker.

Now, just about a week later, it's not the craziest idea any longer. The Red Sox swept the Baltimore Orioles in a four-game series over the weekend and kicked off a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday afternoon with a win. Boston has won five games in a row and has trimmed the deficit to just two games behind New York.

The Red Sox Are Hot

Sep 7, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox catcher Adley Rutschman (31) heads to the bullpen before a game against the Los Angeles Angels at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Yankees are sitting at 81-62 and Boston now is the third team in the American League to reach 80 wins. The Red Sox are 80-65 on the season. New York has 19 games left in the regular season and Boston has 17 games left to go.

Since beating the Red Sox in the four-game series, the Yankees have gone 3-3. Boston has gone 6-2 and is just getting better. The Red Sox got Roman Anthony and Trevor Story back in the lineup in the series finale against New York. Both have been excellent ever since and are a major reason why the Red Sox are red-hot.

That's not all, though. Boston fans are finally starting to see what Adley Rutschman can do as well. So far in September, Rutschman has played in four games and has gone 4-for-16 (.250) with three homers and five RBIs. On Monday, the All-Star backstop blasted a homer off Pesky's Pole to give the Red Sox a commanding 5-0 lead in the second inning against Los Angeles.

Adley Rutschman hits a 3-run homer off Pesky's Pole 💪 pic.twitter.com/ALmwzDyyfo
— MLB (@MLB) September 7, 2026

There was some fear around Rutschman's banged-up elbow, but he's looking great now. In fact, his homer on Monday actually was the hardest-hit ball of his career so far at 112.1 miles per hour.

At the plate #RedSox catcher Adley Rutschman hit a 3-run home run today in the 2nd inning vs #Angels Grayson Rodriguez.

⭐️ Exit velo on Rutschman's HR was 112.1 MPH. Was hardest contact he's made in his career. Previous personal best was 111.3 MPH on a field out last September…
— Red Sox Nation Stats (@RSNStats) September 7, 2026

That's certainly a good sign for his elbow, to say the least. When the Yankees took down Boston, it looked like a different team. Now, just about a week later, the Red Sox look significantly better and are back in the race.

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