With Some Help, Red Sox Get First Series Win Vs. AL East Opponent

The much talked about question was finally answered following the Boston’s Red Sox 4-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday night at Fenway Park.

Yes, the one and only game the Red Sox will play against the Orioles — it was a makeup contest rescheduled from the first week of the lockout — will indeed count as a series, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, per Boston Sports Journal’s Sean McAdam.

By beating the Orioles and with the recognition by the Elias Sports Bureau, the Red Sox are now 1-11-1 in series against American League East opponents this season.

“Yeah, we won a series in the East,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora Cora joked, as seen on NESN postgame coverage.

Cora wasn’t the only member of the Red Sox to poke fun at the oddity of Boston getting credited with a series win despite playing only one game against Baltimore.

“Oh, that’s great,” Xander Bogaerts joked, as seen on NESN postgame coverage. “Against a division rival, right? So, write that up. We are back.”

The Red Sox now have a big obstacle coming to town as they try to build off the win over the Orioles. Boston, which is 4 1/2 games back of the Tampa Bay Rays for the third and final playoff spot in the wild card race, opens up a three-game series with the New York Yankees on Friday.

The Yankees come into Fenway reeling a little bit, having lost seven of their last eight games. And adding former Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi before the trade deadline really hasn’t helped the Yankees, either.

It’s a sizable opportunity for the Red Sox to turn a corner once again, and earn another series win over a divisional opponent that this time would be way more convincing.

“At this point, like (with) 50 games, it’s not about how much you lose by. You got to win. Win by 10, win by one,” Bogaerts said. “It’s all about (finding) ways. Obviously we have a big series against the Yankees. I would say they’re not playing the way they want to. It would be nice to have another series win.”

The Red Sox will welcome in the division-leading New York Yankees starting Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET following “Friday Night Fenway” and an hour of pregame coverage on NESN.