NEW YORK — Think of the most intense moments when the uncivil war between the Yankees and Red Sox was at its most furious a couple of decades back: Pedro Martinez threatening to hit Jorge Posada in the head, Jason Varitek jamming his glove into Alex Rodriguez’s face, Don Zimmer tumbling to the turf at Fenway Park.
Would it surprise you to learn that the dislike the Yankees and Royals shared was once just as intense, if not more so? One of baseball’s great rivalries will be rekindled in the American League Division Series, with the Royals earning the right to return to the Bronx by sweeping the Orioles in the AL Wild Card Series.
In a series highlighted by a showdown between the American League’s leading Most Valuable Player candidates in Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt Jr., get ready to see plenty of low-definition throwback moments playing in the background.
“We’re excited about the challenge,” Royals designated hitter Vinnie Pasquantino said. “The outside noise doesn’t matter. We’re focused on what’s going on inside this clubhouse and [what] we can control. We’re going to go compete. Go do whatever we can to win those games, just like we did here. We’ve got the expectation that we’re going to go win. That’s what we do. We expect to go win.”
For fans of a certain age, this showdown means plenty: four times in five years from 1976-80, the Royals and Yankees played with a trip to the World Series on the line, with the Yanks winning three of those four.
It is the matchup of Chris Chambliss’ pennant-winning homer off Mark Littell, of Dick Howser switching dugouts after running afoul of “The Boss,” and later of George Brett’s fury after being ruled out for using a bat with a bit too much pine tar.
Who knows what the next installment may bring? We can’t wait to find out.
When is the game and how can I watch it?
Game 1 of the American League Division Series will be played at Yankee Stadium on Saturday at 6:38 p.m. ET. It can be seen on TBS and Max.
ALDS Game 2 from Yankee Stadium will be played on Monday at 7:38 p.m. ET. It can be seen on TBS, truTV and Max.
All games are available in the U.S. on MLB.TV (authentication to a participating Pay TV provider is required). Live games are also available in select countries outside the U.S. For full details, click here.
What are the starting lineups?
Royals: The Royals are itching to break out of a quiet offensive stretch, although three runs across two games got the job done in Baltimore. Against righty Cole, the Royals could go with the same lineup they did in the Wild Card Series:
1. Michael Massey, 2B
2. Bobby Witt Jr., SS
3. Vinnie Pasquantino, DH
4. Salvador Perez, C
5. Yuli Gurriel, 1B
6. MJ Melendez, LF
7. Tommy Pham, RF
8. Kyle Isbel, CF
9. Maikel Garcia, 3B
Yankees: The Yankees are likely to trot out a similar lineup to the one that they used on Sept. 26 behind Cole, with a couple of notable tweaks. Anthony Rizzo is unlikely to play in the ALDS after fracturing two fingers on his right hand in the penultimate game of the regular season, and Alex Verdugo may get the nod in left field over Jasson Domínguez because of his more reliable defense.
1. Gleyber Torres, 2B
2. Juan Soto, RF
3. Aaron Judge, CF
4. Austin Wells, C
5. Giancarlo Stanton, DH
6. Jazz Chisholm Jr., 3B
7. Alex Verdugo, LF
8. Ben Rice, 1B
9. Anthony Volpe, SS
How will the bullpens line up after the starter?
Royals: The Royals’ bullpen did not allow a run across 7 2/3 innings in the Wild Card Series, continuing an incredible stretch for the unit in the final month of the season. Lefties Sam Long and Kris Bubic are used to set up closer Lucas Erceg, but manager Matt Quatraro feels just as confident going to lefty Angel Zerpa and righty John Schreiber earlier in the game like he did Wednesday. Daniel Lynch IV, Brady Singer and Michael Lorenzen give the Royals length.
Yankees: Luke Weaver is the de facto closer, having converted all four save chances since taking over for All-Star Clay Holmes, who tied a club record with 13 blown saves. Jake Cousins, Ian Hamilton, Tim Hill, Holmes, Tommy Kahnle and Tim Mayza all could have predetermined lanes for this series.
Any injuries of note?
Royals: Pasquantino is back and in the lineup after missing a month with a broken right thumb, and the Royals’ slugger proved he was feeling just fine when he roped an RBI single to begin the scoring in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series. Other than that, the Royals aren’t expecting any of their injured relievers to return, although lefty Will Smith is continuing to throw in case he’s needed.
Yankees: Cousins (right pectoral strain) is expected to be ready for the ALDS, but Rizzo (two fractured fingers on right hand) and left-hander Nestor Cortes (left elbow flexor strain) aren’t likely to be back until a potential AL Championship Series at the earliest. Infielder DJ LeMahieu (right hip impingement) is also trying to be a playoff option, but he probably won’t be ready for the ALDS.
Who is hot and who is not?
Royals: Witt has had as good of a start to his postseason career as you could have asked for with the game-winning hit in both Wild Card Series games. Massey also went 3-for-8 in the first two games this October. But the Royals’ offense is still fairly quiet, and they’ll need to find ways to score early and often, especially in the Bronx.
Anything else fans might want to know?
• The Yankees have not announced their starter for Game 3, which is between Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt. Schmidt will be available in relief for Games 1 and 2.
• Fresh off a champagne celebration, the Royals haven’t announced their rotation yet for the ALDS. But it seems likely that Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo, who started Games 1 and 2 in the Wild Card Series respectively, will both be available again at some point against the Yankees.
• This is the first time since 2012 that the Yankees (94-68) have owned the AL’s best record, guaranteeing them home-field advantage through the AL playoffs.
• Kansas City and New York played seven games this season, with the Yankees winning five. The Yanks won three of four at Kansas City from June 10-13, denied a sweep by Garcia’s two-run walk-off double off Holmes. The Yanks took two of three in the Bronx Sept. 9-11, including Chisholm’s walk-off 11th-inning single in the series finale.
