ESPN Announces Scheduling Change For Red Sox/Yankees Game

One of baseball’s fiercest rivalries could receive some renewed energy when the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees compete for playoff positioning over the final two months.

The American League East adversaries face off seven more times this season. New York hosts Boston for four games later this month, and they’ll play a three-game set at Fenway Park in September. Unsurprisingly, most of those matchups will draw a primetime spotlight.

ESPN announced Thursday that they’re picking up the Aug. 24 game between the Red Sox and Yankees for “Sunday Night Baseball.” It’ll start at 7 p.m. ET instead of its regularly scheduled 1:35 p.m. ET first pitch.

FOX is televising the first game of that series on Thursday, Aug. 21. MLB Network will broadcast the Friday and Saturday showcases, with Amazon Prime Video also streaming Friday’s game.

It’s the second time “Sunday Night Baseball” will feature the longtime enemies this season. The Red Sox crushed five home runs in an 11-7 victory over the Bronx Bombers on June 8.

It may not be the last, as ESPN could again choose the Red Sox and Yankees as part of its flex scheduling on Sept. 14.

There’s certainly merit to ESPN choosing this matchup. Boston and New York are separated by 2.5 games for the American League’s first and third wild-card spots, and they’re both chasing the Toronto Blue Jays for the AL East title.

While the Red Sox are rolling, the Yankees are 8-11 since the All-Star break. They avoided a second straight sweep by salvaging a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday.

Their meeting on Aug. 24 could thus have meaningful playoff implications. There’s plenty of baseball to play first, with the Red Sox commencing a three-game series against the San Diego Padres on Friday.