Red Sox Clinch Playoff Berth, Will Face Yankees in 2021 AL Wild Card Game

The Boston Red Sox ended the playoff drama in the American League with a 7-5 victory over the Washington Nationals on the final day of the regular season.

Rafael Devers hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the top of the ninth.

The New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 1-0 to earn one of the top wild-card spots in the AL. The postseason door still remained open for the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners, but they needed a Red Sox loss.

Instead of total anarchy, the top two wild-card teams retained their places Sunday, setting up a highly anticipated matchup between the Sox and Yankees to determine who moves on to the AL Division Series.

The Red Sox won all six of their games against the Yankees during the first half of the regular season. The gap between the two rivals was much closer at the All-Star break, with the Yankees sweeping their last two series.

Finding a way to silence Giancarlo Stanton will likely be near the top of Alex Cora's to-do list after the Yankees star hit three home runs during the Bronx Bombers' last three-game set against Boston.

Gerrit Cole and Nathan Eovaldi are pegged as the respective starters for Tuesday at Fenway Park, a matchup that could add to the spectacle of a winner-take-all encounter.

Cole went 16-8 with a 3.23 ERA and a 2.93 FIP in 30 appearances, per FanGraphs. He averaged 12.06 strikeouts and 2.03 walks per nine innings. 

Eovaldi, meanwhile, was 11-9 with a 3.75 ERA and a 2.79 FIP. While he averaged only 9.63 strikeouts per nine innings, he boasted an 8.2 percent home run-to-fly ball ratio. Avoiding the long ball will go a long way toward helping Boston advance.