There is no need to explain the rivalry, but the stakes have never been higher. The Boston Red Sox are down one of the three starters who helped them get through a summer of roster chaos as they get ready to play the Yankees in a Wild Card game that will decide their season. This year, their ace pitched 145 innings and had a 3.41 ERA. From June on, he had a scorching 2.51 ERA in 19 starts. As the tension grew at Yankee Stadium on Monday, manager Alex Cora announced that the ace would not pitch in this series.

Lucas Giolito , the right-handed pitcher whose $38.5 million contract showed Boston’s faith in his return, will not pitch in this series. An elbow injury has kept the pitcher, who had been holding down a rotation that was hurt for months, from playing. The Red Sox relied heavily o

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