Both the Yankees and the Red Sox need to win Game 3 to grab control of the ALDS. Here are the storylines you should be watching.
There are tons of storylines to watch anytime the Yankees and Red Sox get together. The number increases exponentially in October. Considering the fact that Monday night represents a must-win Game 3 for both teams and there’s quite a lot to think about.
The challenge is trying to figure out what are the issues that will really impact the outcome of Monday night’s game. That’s what we’ve worked to do in this piece. These five issues aren’t the only things that will help to determine a winner, but they’re the five most important issues facing both clubs.
If you want to know who’s going to win Game 3, try to answer these five questions and you’ll have your answer. It’s going to be a wild night in the Bronx between these two AL East rivals.
5. Can Gary Sanchez build off his Game 2 performance?
Sanchez endured a nightmare regular season, but his two home run performance in Game 2 almost completely erased those bad memories. In particular, his monster, 479 foot shot in the seventh inning gave his team the breathing room they needed to even the series comfortably.
Now the question becomes whether or not Sanchez can do it again. He doesn’t necessarily need to hit multiple homers again, but he needs to impact the game offensively. It would be a huge boost for the Yankees offense if he can get on base multiple times against Boston in Game 3.
Quietly, Sanchez has also played two solid defensive games in this series. That was a big concern for Aaron Boone and company heading into October, but it’s been a non-issue so far. The Yankees need for it to stay that away if they’re going to go up 2-1 against their arch rivals.