Yankees vs. Red Sox: Who has the edge at each position?

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 03: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees celebrates after scoring a run off of a double hit by Aaron Hicks #31 during the sixth inning against the Oakland Athletics in the American League Wild Card Game at Yankee Stadium on October 03, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

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BOSTON, MA – SEPTEMBER 30: J.D. Martinez #28 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates after hitting a two RBI home run in the bottom of the fourth inning of the game against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park on September 30, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images) /

Giancarlo Stanton vs. J.D. Martinez

As good as Betts has been this season, there’s a reasonable case to be made that J.D. Martinez has been Boston’s best hitter. Finishing the season with an average of .330 and 43 home runs makes it a pretty compelling case.

Stanton comes into the Series after hitting the first home run of his postseason career with a towering shot to left field against the Athletics. Admittedly, he’s been feast or famine for the Yankees this year. At times he’s carried the team with his white-hot bat. At other times, he’s been an automatic out while mired in deep slumps.

The good news for Yankee fans is that he seems to be riding a high at the moment. He didn’t finish the regular season on a tear, but there were real signs for optimism. If he follows the same pattern he’s utilized all year-long, we should see him play well against the Red Sox.

Martinez’s consistency gives him the edge though. Boston fans don’t really have to worry about whether or not he’ll disappear into a slump. That just hasn’t happened to him this season. This matchup can go either way in practice, but it has to be a mark in the Red Sox column heading into the Playoffs.

Advantage: Red Sox

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