Impact of Yankees-Red Sox Series is Bigger Than Just AL East Standings

The New York Yankees took the first game against the Red Sox, and these are the type of wins they need to have all year.

New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (27) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Boston Red Sox in the second inning at Fenway Park. | David Butler II-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees got the last laugh against the Boston Red Sox in 2025, but in the regular season, they were owned by their longtime rivals. They had a 4-9 record and, at one point, lost eight straight against them.

They played Boston about as badly as they played the Toronto Blue Jays, who owned them last year, too. Despite tying with the Blue Jays in the division, the tiebreaker went to their rival because of a losing 5-8 record.

Wally the Boston Red Sox mascot celebrates beating the New York Yankees at Fenway Park | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The ultimate goal will always be winning the World Series, but if the Yankees are going to make things easier on themselves, it should start with their rivals. Thrashing them the way Boston did to the Yankees all year, then taking the division, should be the first step.

Division woes

That Boston series was fun, and the long-term effects of Cam Schlittler's legendary performance still resonate today. Losing the division, though, and then being in the Wild Card series gave Toronto the advantage in those first two games of the ALDS.

For one, the Jays were able to play in Toronto — a comfortable setting where they had a 54-27 record.

Then, they were able to configure their rotation the way they wanted to, while the Yankees were forced to start Luis Gil in game one. It's not to say that the implosions by Max Fried and Carlos Rodon wouldn't have happened at home had they bypassed that Wild Card round, but it was clear last season they were a much better team at home than on the road.

They had a 50-31 record at Yankee Stadium. They were closer to .500 away from the Bronx. Away from River Avenue, they were 44-37.

Tone setter

This is why it was important to see the Yankees make an anemic Boston offense look even worse. The Alex Cora-led team tends to rise to the occasion against the Yankees, even if they have a clearly inferior roster, which was never more evident than it was last year. To shut them out at home, with Gil—their worst pitcher no less—was important.

The Red Sox are 9-14 and are a bad team. They need to treat them as such.

The moment of the game was Giancarlo Stanton's two-run double. The Fenway crowd was chanting "Yankees suck" as they always do. After the sixth pitch of the at-bat, Stanton crushed a Connelly Early changeup. It came off his bat at 102.6 MPH and drove in both Amed Rosario and Aaron Judge. Whatever life the Red Sox may have had came out of them there.

Giancarlo Stanton silences the "Yankees suck" chants with a two-run double off The Monster! pic.twitter.com/A9lIDq8Ma6

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) April 22, 2026

This is what the Yankees need to do all season to Boston. Not just Boston, either. The Jays, Rays, and Orioles as well. The Yankees have a superior roster to all of these teams, and aren't even complete yet. They need to take advantage and can't afford to get swept as they did a few weeks ago.

By the time October rolls around, there's no reason that they should be in a Wild Card round again and then have to walk into a division series with the bottom of their rotation starting game one.