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MLB expert playoff predictions and wild card picks: Yankees or Red Sox?

The 2026 Major League Baseball postseason commenced on Tuesday, September 29, with the opening of the best-of-three wild card rounds. Among the American League matchups, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox meet in a high-profile clash, while the Houston Astros face the Chicago White Sox despite holding an 81-81 mark that stands as the weakest regular-season record for a postseason entrant in history.

Over in the National League, the San Diego Padres are hosting the Chicago Cubs, and the Philadelphia Phillies travel to face Atlanta. Historical precedent from the prior four years since the adoption of the 2022 playoff system reveals that two participants in the wild card round ultimately claimed the World Series title, specifically the Texas Rangers in 2023 and the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2025.

Pundits surveyed regarding the outcomes offered mixed forecasts across the four series, with extensive consensus favoring the Yankees and the White Sox alongside varied opinions on the Atlanta-Phillies and Padres-Cubs contests.

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