Red Sox vs. Yankees Set for 2026 MLB Playoffs Bracket, Updated Standings Ahead of Postseason

The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees will renew their rivalry in the Wild Card round of the 2026 MLB playoffs.

The Red Sox locked in the matchup Thursday with a 4-3 win over the visiting Chicago Cubs.

The Red Sox are now set to travel to the Bronx for Game 1 of the Wild Card series next Tuesday.

The teams will return Wednesday for Game 2 and, if necessary, could finish out the series Thursday with a winner-takes-all Game 3. All three games will be broadcast on NBC/NBCSN and stream on Peacock.

This marks the seventh time the Red Sox and Yankees have met one another in the postseason, with the most recent matchup taking place during the 2025 Wild Card series.

The Yankees lost the opening game of that series before coming back to win Game 2.

Then-Yankees pitcher Garrett Crochet helped his club close out the Game 3 win and become the third team in history to advance to the divisional series after opening the postseason with a Wild Card loss.

The Yankees went 7-6 against the Red Sox (4-2 at home) this season, securing the regular-season series victory with a 16-1 blowout Aug. 30 at Yankee Stadium.

The home team is heading into the matchup with an intimidating pitching rotation led by Gerrit Cole, Max Fried and Carlos Rodón but potentially missing Aaron Judge, who could miss the Wild Card round with a right calf strain.

The Red Sox have some injury questions of their own with closer Aroldis Chapman and outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela both dealing with recent health issues, but Boston also boasts a strong top-of-the rotation in Payton Tolle, Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez.

These clubs, which have put together two of the most efficient rotations in MLB this season, could be set for a pitching duel when Game 1 starts this Tuesday at a time yet to be determined.