New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox is one of the greatest rivalries in sports — but it doesn’t beat an NBA Finals game.
The Yankees and Red Sox are matching up for the first time in the 2024 regular season over the weekend, with a three-game series in Boston beginning Friday. On Wednesday, the series opener underwent a time change.
Rather than starting at 7:10 p.m. Eastern Time, first pitch for Friday night’s game will be at 6:30 p.m. Why? Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks tips off on Friday night at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Friday’s Yankees game at Fenway Park has been moved to a 6:30 PM start to accommodate Boston fans who want to watch the Celtics: pic.twitter.com/i79CfK7IBf
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) June 12, 2024
The Red Sox made the announcement on Wednesday:
“The Red Sox have moved the start time of Friday’s June 14 game against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park from 7:10 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
“The change was made as a courtesy to fans interested in watching the Celtics take on the Dallas Mavericks in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, scheduled to start at 8:30 p.m. on Friday, June 14 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
“For Friday’s Red Sox-Yankees game, Fenway Park gates will open at 5 p.m.
“Season Ticket Holders and Red Sox Nation members may enter Gate C starting at 4 p.m. The game will be televised on NESN and broadcast on WEEI 93.7 FM in English and WCCM 1490 AM/103.7 FM in Spanish.
“Go Celtics!”
While the Yankees and Red Sox likely won’t be done with their game in time for tipoff, the earlier start time should give Red Sox fans plenty of time to get home to watch a majority of the Celtics’ game — barring extra innings at Fenway.
The Celtics enter Wednesday night’s Game 3 in Dallas with a 2-0 lead in the Finals. No team has ever come back from an 0-3 deficit, so Game 3 is essentially must-win for the Mavericks.
If the Mavericks are able to win Game 3, Friday night’s Game 4 will become one of the most important games of the series. Thus, the Red Sox want to make sure they’re not preventing Boston fans from watching their team compete for a record 18th NBA championship.
While the Red Sox vs. Yankees series won’t generate nearly the same viewership as the NBA Finals, this is by no means an insignificant series. The Yankees are currently pacing the American League East with a record of 48-21. The Red Sox are trying to hang around the wild card race with a record of 33-34.
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This will be a great test for the Red Sox to see if they’re good enough to compete with the class of Major League Baseball. If not, they could have some difficult decisions to make as the July 30 trade deadline inches closer.
Uncommon Knowledge
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