The Boston Red Sox officially locked up a Wild Card spot, snatching that playoff berth on September 20, 2026, down in St. Petersburg, Florida. Now, the big question everyone had about their rotation for the best-of-three series seems to have an answer, and it came quicker than anyone expected.
No More Sweating Over The Wild Card Race
Seriously, who needed the stress? After clinching their spot, you can just feel the collective sigh of relief wash over the fanbase. No more looking over their shoulder at other teams trying to nip at their heels in the American League Wild Card race. The memory of 2011 might have briefly floated through a few minds, sure, but let’s be real, a choke of that magnitude was always highly unlikely for this team in September to miss out on one of the three non-divisional slots on the Junior Circuit’s side of the bracket. We aren’t talking Mr. Burns’ softball misfortunes here. Still, baseball is a wild game, and having that threat of an excruciating collapse officially gone, however implausible it was to begin with? That’s just lovely, plain and simple.
The Wild Card Rotation Is Clear
So, with the champagne still drying in the clubhouse, the next major question hit everyone: what’s the starting rotation going to look like for that best-of-three set? Well, Chad Tracy and company didn’t make us wait long to guess their hand. Tyler Milliken from Section 10, over on the bird app, pointed out something huge on September 20: the Red Sox just announced their rotation for the penultimate regular season series against the Cleveland Guardians. Get this: it’s Payton Tolle for Game 1, Sonny Gray for Game 2, and Ranger Suarez for Game 3, in that exact order. The tweet even asked, “Preview of the WC round? 👀”
Does that tip their hand for what we’ll likely see against New York in the Bronx? Absolutely. It’s simple math, even for us normal folks who might still need to use our fingers sometimes. The Wild Card series kicks off a week from that announcement, on Tuesday, September 29. If they stick with this trio in that same order, Tolle, Gray, and Suarez will all be entering their playoff starts with plenty of rest. Barring any injuries, rest simply won’t be a factor for this trio rolling into the Wild Card series. And honestly? These are clearly the three starters you absolutely should be counting on in a do-or-die situation. Yeah, Jake Bennett has been impressive this year, no doubt, but you probably wouldn’t give him the nod in any of these critical games.
So there it is. The Red Sox have essentially laid out their probable Wild Card pitching plans for everyone to see, a week ahead of time. It’s likely going to come down to a showdown in the Bronx against the Yankees in a matter of days. Get ready for Tuesday, September 29. The cards are on the table, and the AL knows what’s coming.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Over the Monster.
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