There's already plenty of attention -- and nostalgia -- attached to the 2021 wild card playoff game between the Yankees and Red Sox.
Ultimately, however, one team will win and advance to the Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, which gets underway Thursday at Tropicana Field, and for the Red Sox to be that team, here are some keys for them:
1. Keep the ball in the ballpark.
Perhaps you remember the Yankees' sweep of the Red Sox at Fenway the weekend before last. The Yankees hit "only'' four homers in that series, though a couple were hit so hard and so far that they probably should have counted twice.
But it's not just the number of homers that were hit, but rather, when they were hit. In both the second and third game of the series, Giancarlo Stanton hit mammoth eighth-inning blasts that turned both games around.
Over the course of the season, the Sox limited the Yanks to 16 homers in 19 games, an impressive ratio when you consider that the Yanks hit 222 homers in 162 games, an average of 1.37 per game. Even at Fenway, the Sox kept the Yankees to less than a homer per game (seven homers 10 games).
Still, in a one-game situation, every swing is critical and a well-timed homer can determine a game, and by extension, a season.
The Sox will be aided in this regard by the presence of Nathan Eovaldi on the mound. He allowed just 15 homers all season over 182.1 innings, for an average of 0.7 homers per nine innings, one of the lowest figures among qualified pitchers in the American League.
2. Be prepared for anything from the bullpen.
Ever since Matt Barnes pitched himself out of the closer's role in August, the Red Sox have taken an ad hoc approach to their bullpen usage. There's been no designated closer -- as evidenced by the fact that in Game No. 162, the save went to Nick Pivetta, who closed it out with what he immodestly labeled an "80'' curveball on Nationals superstar Juan Soto.
The day before -- and the day before that, too -- it was Hansel Robles, who probably wasn't the guy the Sox expected to be closing two of last three games of their season when they acquired him almost as an afterthought at the July 30 deadline.
Also not anticipated: the Sox had Austin "Big Fudge'' Davis facing down and trash-talking Soto in a huge spot in the eighth inning and Eduardo Rodriguez, working with all of a day's rest, for a big inning Sunday.
The use of Pivetta and Rodriguez on Sunday was a reminder of the "rover'' strategy that Cora deployed with great success in 2018, when he utilized Rick Porcello, Eovaldi and, famously, for the final three outs of the World Series, Chris Sale, out of the bullpen.
Expect a similar hands-on-deck approach Tuesday, too. While it would be something of a surprise to see Sale Tuesday night -- he would likely start a Game 1 of the Division Series Thursday -- everyone else could be called on for a few hitters or a few innings. While Sale is held back, everyone else is likely available.
It could be risky for Cora to turn to either Barnes or Adam Ottavino. The former, while pitching better of late, is still working toward reclaiming his mojo from the first four months of the season. Ottavino, meanwhile, looks suspiciously like someone who has run out of gas. In his last 11 games, dating back to Sept. 4, Ottavino has a 9.72 ERA and 1.303 OPS against, including five homers allowed. The homer he allowed to Stanton in the final home series of the season may just now be coming down.
One positive is the return of Garrett Whitlock, who looked sharp (one inning, two strikeouts) Sunday in his first outing since being placed on the IL two weeks ago with a pectoral strain. Getting two innings of Whitlock would be a huge boost for the Sox.
Less certain is the availability of Josh Taylor, whose return from a lower back strain has taken longer than anticipated.
3. Don't make a costly mistake.
This is one's obvious, of course. A team wouldn't want to make a mistake during a game in May, or one in August, either. But in a one-game, win-or-go-home scenario, those kinds of mistakes can literally be season-ending, and spell the difference between heading to Tampa Bay Wednesday or heading home.
Think of the last series of the year and the mistakes the Red Sox made: The unnecessary throw to third base by right fielder J.D. Martinez on Friday, enabling the trail runner to advance from first to second. The refusal to run out of the box after a popped-up bunt try by Eduardo Rodriguez Friday, resulting in a double play. The inability of Garrett Richards to field a comebacker for what should have been an inning-ending double play, that instead resulted in a run scoring and the inning continuing. And the indecision on the part of Alex Verdugo on a single Sunday, causing him to get into a rundown between first-and-second on Sunday.
That's four costly plays in one three-game series. Against a last-place team, playing for nothing. If the Red Sox play like that Tuesday, they'll be busy scheduling flights to their offseason homes soon after.
The Sox have not been a very good defensive team -- especially as it pertains to the infield -- most of the season. That's not about to change between now and Tuesday.
But they can play smarter fundamental baseball Tuesday, and that doesn't require an overnight transformation. Run the bases aggressively, but within reason. Hit the cut-off man. Remember the number of outs.
The basics.
"'We are who we are -- we know that,'' said Cora. "But we didn't run into 92 wins just being lucky. We have a good baseball team. We have to keep working and it doesn't change. Hopefully we can get back to what we did before 10 days ago, and play good defense and run the bases well.''
