After being eliminated in three games by the New York Yankees in last year’s Wild Card round, the Boston Red Sox are looking for revenge in 2026 against their archrivals. 

If the Red Sox are going to have any chance of advancing to the divisional round, they’ll need to do these three things: 

When the Red Sox offense is at its best, the team makes opposing starters grind through at-bats, shortens their outings, and gets to the low-leverage arms of the opponent's bullpen. Through much of September, Red Sox hitters were putting together fairly uncompetitive at-bats, swinging early and making poor contact, leading to them being one of the worst offenses in baseball in the final month of the regular season. 

Driving up the pitch count will be especially important in Tuesday night’s Game 1 against Yankees starter Cam Schlittler, who has a career 0.56 ERA against the Red Sox. The Boston hitters did a good job chasing Schlittler in their final regular-season matchup, working five walks in 5.2 innings in New York’s 1-0 win on Aug. 28. However, they couldn't capitalize on many opportunities, going just 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position. 

On that note, the Red Sox offense wasn’t constructed to launch the ball out of the park, but rather to string together hits, using small ball to create scoring opportunities. 

Working five walks and sending Schlittler to the showers in the sixth inning would obviously be a perfectly fine outcome for the Red Sox. However, working deep into counts and getting base runners is ultimately meaningless if you can’t cash in on those opportunities. And in September, the Red Sox have mightily struggled to do just that, hitting just .160 with runners in scoring position, leading to the team scoring a league-low 71 runs, 18 fewer than the next closest team, the Philadelphia Phillies.

Now you can argue about how effective the small-ball offensive mentality is in the postseason, where, as Craig Breslow said at last year’s end-of-season presser, runs are scored disproportionately via home runs. But if the Red Sox are going to advance past New York, they’ll need to cash in on the few opportunities they get. 

During the Red Sox' historic 32-5 stretch from late June to early August, the clubhouse strongly believed that no matter the deficit, they would come back, and that any player on the team could deliver. 

In the final month of the season, that sentiment seemed to dissipate, where even a one- or two-run lead felt like a death knell.  

Ultimately, finding that magic again combines the first two keys. If the offense can string together hits, use small-ball to get into scoring position, and then if it can cash in on those chances. It also involves rediscovering the long ball. Despite finishing the season with the fifth-fewest home runs in baseball (163), the Red Sox hit 51 home runs during that 37-game stretch, the seventh-most in the sport. 

The postseason is when the stars shine brightest, and the Red Sox will need all nine hitters in the lineup to stand tall on the biggest stage. 

With a pitching staff as strong as Boston’s, if the offense can accomplish even two of these three keys in the series, they’ll be in good shape to head into the Bronx and exact some revenge. 

Payton Tolle (9-6, 3.03 ERA) gets the start for Boston opposite the likely American League Cy Young Award winner, Cam Schlittler (14-6, 1.95 ERA) for New York in Game 1 of the Wild Card series on Tuesday night. First pitch from Yankee Stadium is set for 8:00 p.m. ET.

Zach Coe and David Azer are back on the 'Entering Kenmore' Podcast, previewing the Red Sox' Wild Card matchup with the Yankees. Check it out wherever you get your podcasts or in the YouTube player below.