In absolutely thrilling fashion, the Boston Red Sox took down the New York Yankees for the second straight time in the postseason. After suffering losses for years and years to the Yankees, the Red Sox finally broke through back in the 2004 ALCS. This was the first time since then that the two matched up in the playoffs, and the Red Sox continued their dominance. They have now won their last four postseason games played at Yankee Stadium, and have also clinched both series in New York. The amount of storylines to take away from this matchup are endless, but one thing that is for sure is that this rivalry has been renewed. 
In game one, Chris Sale did not disappoint. There had been a lot of speculation that he would not be healthy due to throwing a total of only 17 innings since July. From the beginning of the game, he was locked in and had his velocity up in the mid 90s. In five and one third innings of work, he was able to strike out eight Yankees while only walking two. It definitely helped that JD Martinez gave Sale a nice little cushion in the first inning with a three-run-homer that just barely made it over the Green Monster. After jumping out to a 5–0 lead, Sale did give up two runs in the sixth inning which ended his day, respectively so. Things got interesting as the game went on, mostly due to the Red Sox’s struggling bullpen. Aaron Judge homered off of Craig Kimbrel’s very first pitch in the ninth inning, bringing New York within one run as the score was 5–4. Boston persevered, and won the game to take a 1–0 lead in the series. 
Game two went a lot different for the Red Sox, as the Yankees were able to strike first. David Price’s postseason failures are well documented, and he sure did stick to the script. He gave up a home run to Judge in the very first inning, and then another to Gary Sanchez in the second inning. Price exited the ball game in the second inning with the score 3–0 the Yankees, but the Red Sox were really never able to get anything going. They scored a run in the fourth, but then Sanchez homered again in the sixth; this time it was a three-run shot. The Red Sox lost the game 6–2, as the Yankees evened the series up at 1–1.
The entire complexion of the series changed in game three at Yankee Stadium. The team that scored first in the previous two games went on to win. So it was clear that it would be key to get off to a quick start. The Red Sox did just that, taking a 3–0 lead by the third inning and forcing the Yankees to take Luis Severino out of the game. It really opened up when Andrew Benintendi hit a bases clearing double with three men on, making the score 7–0 in the fourth inning. The Red Sox went on to crush the Yankees 16–1, but that was not even the biggest story of the day. Brock Holt, a utility player who often fills in for injured players or those who need some rest, hit for the cycle. He hit a single, double, and a triple, and got one last at bat with two outs in the ninth inning. He swung at the very first pitch, and right off the bat everyone knew it was going over the fence. Holt became the first player ever to hit for the cycle in a postseason game, and I believe that the Red Sox carried this momentum into game four.
The Red Sox took care of business in game four with a 4–3 win. Rick Porcello was on the mound, and he did not give up a run until the fifth inning. With the help of JD Martinez, Ian Kinsler, Eduardo Nunez, and Christian Vasquez, the Red Sox were able to give Porcello four runs through the first four innings of play. The bullpen pitched great, and Alex Cora was pushing all the right buttons. With a 4–1 lead, he brought Chris Sale in for the eighth inning and it paid off in a big way; he did not even allow a hit. Now the Red Sox could hand the ball to Kimbrel for a quick and easy ninth, right? Well, not this time. Kimbrel did not look himself out there, and gave up two runs while also loading the bases. Thanks to a great play by Nunez, the Red Sox escaped with a victory and advanced to the ALCS. They will now square off against the reigning World Series Champions, the Houston Astros.