Two teams making their second appearances on Bases Covered Live (6:30 p.m. BST on BBC and BBC iPlayer) face off this weekend at Fenway Park as the Boston Red Sox host the Miami Marlins. With the postseason now beckoning, here are five things you need to know ahead of the Sunday night clash
1. While they may be adrift from the Toronto Blue Jays at the top of the AL East, the Red Sox remain in pole position to secure a Wild Card berth this season. At the time of writing, Boston is keeping their fierce rivals the Yankees at bay in the division standings. If they maintain their recent pace for the next seven weeks and seal a place in the postseason, it would mark the Red Sox's first time playing October baseball since 2021.
2. The Marlins’ recent run of form also has their fans dreaming of what would be one of the wildest runs to the postseason in recent memory. Despite a disappointing series that saw them drop four of five to NL East rivals the Braves last weekend, they had entered that set having won 10 of their last 14. Although they still currently sit under .500, they remain -- just about -- in touch with the NL Wild Card spots.
3. As we mentioned up top, this isn’t the first time you’ll be seeing these two on Bases Covered Live -- and both are yet to taste defeat. The Red Sox edged out the Dodgers at Fenway back in July thanks to Alex Bregman’s two-run homer. A week later, the Marlins consigned the Yankees to a sweep with a Kyle Stowers-inspired performance at loanDepot Park.
4. The Red Sox, who were relatively quiet at the Trade Deadline, continue to rely on their impressive litany of young talent to fire their postseason bid. Underscoring their importance to the franchise, it was announced last week that one of their brightest talents will be staying at Fenway for the foreseeable future, when former No. 1 prospect Roman Anthony put pen to paper on a $130 million eight-year extension.
5. The Marlins, similarly, were inactive at July’s deadline -- but for them, that might not be such a bad thing. They managed to keep hold of their big-ticket starting pitchers Sandy Alcantara and Edward Cabrera, around whom rumors had been swirling. If the Fish are to make that improbable postseason run, they will certainly need that duo to play a big part.