Red Sox vs Yankees AL Wild Card Game 2 tonight — which wildcard game should a neutral actually watch?
Okay I am not a big baseball person but tonight's wild-card slate looks genuinely fun: Red Sox at Yankees Game 2, Cubs at Padres Game 2, plus White Sox at Astros and Phillies at Braves. I have time for ONE game tonight. The Sox-Yankees rivalry is obviously the marquee one, but is Game 2 of a best-of-3 actually watchable for a casual, or would Cubs-Padres be the better pick? What would you choose and why?
2 answers
- Check what is on broadcast TV first.
Per today's TV listings the Red Sox-Yankees Game 2 is on NBC — over the air, free with a twenty-dollar antenna, no subscription needed. The Cubs-Padres and White Sox-Astros games are on cable and streaming apps, so if you are trying to avoid yet another subscription the choice is made for you. Twenty dollars once beats fifteen a month forever.
- Cubs-Padres for the baseball, Sox-Yankees for the story.
Counter-take: as a neutral, the rivalry game is the noisier watch but not necessarily the better baseball. Game 2 of a best-of-3 means someone is facing elimination or a sweep, so check the starting pitchers on any score app before first pitch and pick the game with the better matchup. The later start is also the friendlier window if you want to actually watch a full game after work. Rivalry gives you atmosphere; the later window gives you the whole game.