Yankees and Red Sox begin critical series with playoff implications

The New York Yankees face the Boston Red Sox in a significant four-game series starting Friday in the Bronx. Yankees manager Aaron Boone emphasizes focusing on each game rather than the series outcomes, despite the playoff stakes involved. The Yankees, holding the first AL wild-card spot, recently lost to Houston, while the Red Sox sit six games back in the wild-card race and have been playing well, boasting a 41-14 record since mid-June. The Yankees will start Cam Schlittler, who has a strong record against the Red Sox, even as Aaron Judge recovers from an injury and is set to miss the series. The teams' last meeting resulted in a Red Sox sweep, adding to the tension of this matchup.

• 3:28 AMYahoo Sports — Yankees looking to 'flip the script' on Red Sox as series with playoff implications set to begin