Two September games can swing a division race. That’s the backdrop for the Yankees vs Red Sox weekend set at Boston’s Fenway Park, where New York (82-65) sits three games behind Toronto and Boston (81-67) is 4.5 back with time running short. The series starts Saturday at 4:10 PM EDT (Sept. 13, 2025) and wraps Sunday at 4:00 PM EDT (Sept. 14), with ESPN carrying Sunday’s game nationwide.

It’s a familiar scene with real consequences. The Yankees arrive hot, fresh off a win streak that’s tightened the AL East and sharpened their Wild Card cushion. The Red Sox, trying to halt recent losses, need momentum and wins, not vibes. Add the Green Monster, the Pesky Pole, and a packed late-afternoon crowd, and you get the kind of September theater that can define a season.

Start times, TV and how to watch

• When: Saturday, Sept. 13 at 4:10 PM EDT; Sunday, Sept. 14 at 4:00 PM EDT
• Where: Fenway Park, Boston
• TV: Sunday’s matchup airs on ESPN with pregame coverage and live commentary
• Streaming: Sunday’s ESPN telecast is available to subscribers through the network’s authenticated streaming platforms
• Radio: Both games air on team radio networks and local affiliates in the New York and Boston markets
• Tickets: Saturday from about $129; Sunday from about $86 (prices vary by section and availability)

Sunday gets the national spotlight on ESPN. Saturday remains a prime late-afternoon window in one of baseball’s most-watched rivalries, right as college football ramps up and football season buzz starts creeping in. Expect big, engaged crowds and loud, fast innings—Fenway rarely does quiet in September.

What’s at stake and matchups to watch

The math is simple and unforgiving. The Yankees trail Toronto by three games, and the Red Sox by 4.5. A sweep either way can change the tone of the final stretch, even if the division leader keeps winning elsewhere. Split the set, and the clock keeps ticking. Drop both, and you shift from chasing the division to protecting Wild Card positioning.

Star power is central to the weekend. Aaron Judge’s season says it all: a .323 average with 47 home runs, 101 RBIs, a .444 on-base percentage, and a .673 slugging percentage. Fenway can be friendly to right-handed hitters who hammer balls off or over the Monster, and when Judge is seeing it like this, mistakes don’t come back. Expect the Red Sox to work up and away, mix soft stuff early, and live on the edges rather than challenge him middle-in.

On the Boston side, Trevor Story brings 24 home runs and 91 RBIs while batting .261. He’s also a tone-setter when he’s aggressive on early counts and quick to punish elevated fastballs. His defense at short matters, too. Fenway’s left side is a busy place with caroms off the Monster, shallow flares, and cutoffs that decide extra bases. One clean relay can save a run; one slow exchange can open the door for New York.

Pitching plans will be tight. Managers tend to go shorter with starters this late, especially in rivalry games with playoff feel. The hook gets quicker, and high-leverage relievers get more innings. With September rosters expanded to 28, both dugouts have extra options for matchups—late-inning specialists, pinch-runners, and defense-first subs. The chess match often starts by the fifth inning and rarely ends before the last out.

Fenway itself always shapes strategy. Left field is a 37-foot wall at 310 feet down the line, which turns would-be homers in some parks into loud singles and doubles in Boston. Right field runs short to the Pesky Pole (about 302 feet), but it bows out quickly, making true pull power a must. The wide center gap and the triangle can punish slow outfield reads and reward hard runners on contact. Expect both lineups to hunt line drives rather than uppercut for moonshots.

For New York, the formula looks straightforward: traffic for Judge and the middle of the order, clean defense, and strike throwing. They’ve been rolling, and teams on a win streak often simplify—fewer free passes, more balls in play, and trust in the bullpen blueprint. Turn games into a six-inning starter plan, then hand it to the best three arms you have.

Boston’s path leans on pressure. Put runners in motion, stretch singles into doubles off the Monster, and force New York into throws. That means competitive at-bats against velocity and no giveaways on the bases. If they can get into the Yankees’ middle relievers early, the seventh and eighth can tilt, especially if the crowd gets to two strikes and stays there.

Defense could be the quiet difference. Fenway’s angles create chaos: caroms ricochet to odd spots, and infields get tested on chopped balls that bounce high and late. Double plays are gold in late innings when every baserunner feels like two. It’s also a park where outfielders who take smart routes can erase mistakes—and where one bad read can turn a bloop into a back-breaking extra-base hit.

The rivalry itself needs no sell. From Bucky Dent in 1978 to the 2004 ALCS comeback, the history is heavy and often strange. But the current standings are the story now. Toronto leads at 85-62; New York and Boston are chasing, with Tampa Bay (72-75) and Baltimore (69-78) further back. The next two games won’t decide the division on their own, but they can set up or derail the final two weeks.

If you’re going: plan for lines and expect energy by the national anthem. If you’re watching: Sunday is the easier national option on ESPN, while radio remains a steady companion both days. Either way, this is the stretch where good teams reveal themselves and rivals try to make each other blink. Two days at Fenway. A race still open. Plenty of drama left on the table.