Red Sox beat Cubs 2-0 to sweep doubleheader after setting Wild Card Series matchup with Yankees

Boston Red Sox defeated Chicago White Sox 2-0 on Friday night, securing a sweep of the doubleheader. Wilyer Abreu contributed significantly with a two-run double in the eighth inning. Pitcher Brayan Bello allowed just four hits over four innings, while rookie Jedixson Páez delivered three hits in five innings, earning his first big league win.

Chicago's Javier Assad was the loser. The Cubs now trail San Diego by two games for the top NL wild card spot, with the Padres set to host Arizona later on Friday. In the first game, Connor Wong delivered a tiebreaking double in the seventh inning, helping the Red Sox rally from a three-run deficit to win 4-3 and secure the No. 5 seed in the AL playoffs.

This marks the seventh Red Sox-Yankees postseason series, with the Yankees prevailing in last season's best-of-three matchup 2-1. The series opener was rescheduled from Sunday afternoon to Friday night due to an impending storm. The series finale, originally scheduled for Saturday night, will now take place on Sunday afternoon in St. Petersburg, Florida. Both teams have yet to announce their pitching plans for Sunday.