Every game of the best-of-three series will be played at Yankee Stadium, which means Sunday’s 4-3 victory against the Tigers could have been the final game of the season at Fenway Park.
At best, the Sox won’t be back home until Oct. 7 for what would be Game 3 of a Division Series against the Blue Jays.
Alex Cora expects Fenway to host more baseball this season. He believes his team has the ability to make more than a cameo appearance in the postseason.
“We’ve got a chance,” Cora said. “I think offensively we’re doing a lot of good things. The bullpen is a lot better than the last few years. I think having that No.1 [starter] helps.
“We know we’re going on the road. We know it’s Garrett [Crochet] on Tuesday. So we have a pretty good chance.”
Having Crochet lined up to start the first game of a best-of-three series, even against Yankees ace Max Fried, is an advantage. Crochet will be working on an extra day of rest, too.
Crochet has completed seven or more innings in 14 of his 32 starts this season. That’s what the Sox will be looking for Tuesday.
“This is what we planned for, take the ball in Game 1 and be ready to go deep,” the lefthander said. “I’ve wanted to be in this position all season.”
Aroldis Chapman and Garrett Whitlock last pitched Friday. They could cover as many as seven or eight outs to finish Game 1 if needed.
Justin Slaten has been sharp in his last six games, allowing one banger over 5⅓ innings and throwing 71 percent of his pitches for strikes. He will be part of the late-innings mix, too.
For today, Crochet to Whitlock to Chapman is how the Sox are drawing it up. Then find a way to win one more game.
Brayan Bello was 1-3 with a 5.40 ERA in five September starts but “most likely” will get Game 2 according to Cora.
Bello allowed four earned runs over 19 innings in three starts against the Yankees this season. He also has a 1.44 ERA in five career starts at Yankee Stadium.
That leaves Lucas Giolito for a possible Game 3. Given their rotation issues this season, that’s the best-case scenario for the Sox.
The Yankees finished the regular season with eight consecutive victories and were 41-25 after the All-Star break, with 14 wins in the last 17 games.
That’s very impressive, but the Sox were 9-4 against the Yankees this season, 5-2 at the Stadium.
“We played great [in New York]. Played good defense, we pitched well over there,” Cora said.
As he packed his equipment bag, Ceddanne Rafaela welcomed the idea of facing the Yankees in what would be his first career postseason game.
“It’s what people want, right?” he said. “They’re really good and we’re good. There are no secrets. We’ll go there and do our best. I feel good about our pitching. I’m glad Crochet is on our side.”
Advancing to the postseason for the first time since 2021 was an important step for this group of Sox players. We’ll see if they can last longer than two or three games.
The Sox finished third in the AL in runs. They also finished third in the league in stolen bases. They can find ways to score beyond hitting home runs.
Steven Matz, an underrated acquisition at the trade deadline, has pitched well and adds to the stability of the bullpen, especially with Justin Wilson struggling of late.
The Sox also have an advantage with Cora, who has a 17-8 record in the postseason. Yankees manager Aaron Boone is 22-23 and John Schneider of the AL East champion Blue Jays is 0-4.
But if the Sox advance and need a No. 4 starter, the only viable options are lefthanders Connelly Early and Kyle Harrison. That’s an issue.
Early is a 23-year-old rookie who has pitched well, but that’s only through four starts. Harrison has more experience over his career but didn’t appear in a game for the Sox until Sept. 10.
You also have to wonder if their infield defense will crack at the wrong time.
“Are we perfect? No, we’re not,” Cora said. “But I don’t think there’s a perfect team out there to be honest with you. So just go out there, play hard, and see where it takes us.”
Peter Abraham can be reached at peter.abraham@globe.com. Follow him on Bluesky at peteabeglobe.bsky.social.
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