Red Sox Fans Face Rooting Dilemma With Pivotal AL East Series

The Boston Red Sox don’t begin Friday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks until 9:40 p.m. ET. In the meantime, fans can scout Boston’s two biggest enemies.

As the Red Sox embark on interleague action, the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees will meet in the Bronx for a series with monumental American League East ramifications.

Toronto begins the three-game set with a three-game lead over New York. The 78-63 Red Sox are just one loss behind the 78-62 Yankees atop the AL’s wild-card picture.

Given the current standings, will Red Sox fans consider the unthinkable and root for the Yankees?

While the Yankees could help narrow the gap in the AL East, the Red Sox may rather jump ahead of their longtime nemesis for the AL’s top wild-card seed. That distinction would allow them to host a first-round playoff series (against the Yankees if the current standings hold) at Fenway Park.

The Blue Jays will seek a repeat of their four-game sweep over the Yankees before the All-Star break. Toronto seized the division lead when scoring 36 runs at the Rogers Centre.

New York dropped two of three to Toronto later in July, committing four errors to lose the rubber match. Yet the Yankees have won nine of their last 11 games since losing three straight to the Red Sox.

Boston will get another crack at each foe, hosting the Yankees in a three-game series starting next Friday and going to Toronto during the season’s final week. Alex Cora’s squad otherwise plays 12 games against teams outside the current playoff picture before closing their schedule against the Detroit Tigers.

No matter how the Yankees and Blue Jays series unfolds, the Red Sox could gain ground on one adversary with a strong showing against Arizona.