The Boston Red Sox were the best team in baseball during the first half of the season, posting a Major League Baseball-best 68-30 record.
But despite their blistering start, the Red Sox were unable to put away the rival New York Yankees who sit 4 1/2 games back of first place in the American League East at 62-33.
The two clubs will play 10 times during the second half of the season, including a three-game series to end the regular season at Fenway Park.
Boston and New York have shown that they are two of the best teams in the league this year and there’s no doubt that the battle for the division crown likely will go down to the wire.
Don’t believe us? Just ask J.D. Martinez.
The Red Sox All-Star slugger was asked about the Yankees and the heated division race Tuesday at the MLB All-Star Game, and he’s prepared for the fight to go the distance.
“I feel like (the AL East) is going to come down to those final three games,” Martinez told MLB Network’s Robert Flores.
The Red Sox went 4-5 against the Yankees in the first half, but were able to take the division lead thanks to a high-powered offense and a solid starting rotation. Boston will have to play better against its rival as the summer rolls on, but the final three games likely will decide who wins the division and who gets sent to the one-game Wild Card playoff.
