The final series of the regular season begins Friday night at Fenway Park when the Boston Red Sox welcome the New York Yankees for the first game of a three-game series.
While the Red Sox already have wrapped up the American League East title and home-field advantage, New York still is trying to secure home field in the Wild Card Game against the Oakland Athletics.
Boston could be seeing a lot of its dreaded rival in the near future, as a Yankees win over the A’s in the AL Wild Card Game would send New York right back to Fenway Park on Oct. 5 to begin an American League Division Series tilt with the Sox.
As such, manager Alex Cora is trotting out a lineup Friday against Yankees left-hander J.A. Happ that could look similar to what the Sox will send out in an ALDS game against the lefty.
Jackie Bradley Jr. will begin the game on the bench, putting Mookie Betts in center field and J.D. Martinez in right. Eduardo Nunez returns to the lineup after a bout with left hamstring soreness and will bat seventh as the designated hitter.
Blake Swihart will handle the catching for left-hander Brian Johnson.
Here are the complete lineups for Friday’s Red Sox vs. Yankees game:
RED SOX (107-52)
Mookie Betts, CF
Andrew Benintendi, LF
J.D. Martinez, RF
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Steve Pearce, 1B
Rafael Devers, 3B
Eduardo Nunez, DH
Ian Kinsler, 2B
Blake Swihart, C
Brian Johnson, LHP (4-4, 4.11 ERA)
YANKEES (98-61)
Andrew McCutchen, LF
Aaron Judge, RF
Aaron Hicks, CF
Giancarlo Stanton, DH
Luke Voit, 1B
Didi Gregorius, SS
Miguel Andujar, 3B
Gary Sanchez, C
Gleyber Torres, 2B
J.A. Happ, LHP (16-6, 3.97 ERA)
