Red Sox vs. Yankees: Game Predictions, and More

(Photo by gr33nt4u on Flickr)

One-hundred years ago, the Red Sox faced off against the New York Highlanders (now Yankees) at Fenway Park and won. As one of the oldest rivalries in all of sports re-enters the Green Monster for the first series of 2012, will history repeat itself? Sox fans can only hope that things come full circle this afternoon, and many experts and fans think they’ll trump the Yankees. But with these two teams, no one really ever knows. With new line-ups, dynamics, and Fenway Park’s 100th birthday thrown into the mix, check out who is saying what about the game and this season:

Sweet Caroline, We’ve Got This:

The folks at the Globe compare the line-ups of either team by each position. Overall, voters think the Sox will edge the Yankees (56.51 percent to 43.49 percent). [Boston.com]

Zachary D. Rymer claims: “This will be a typical Yankees-Red Sox game,” with lots of runs and extra innings. He adds that the Sox will be better rested and that the score will be close, predicting Boston 9, New York 8. [Bleacher Report]

The teams will definitely serve up a close game, as is tradition for the iconic rivalry, but Boston will take the game. [blog.sportsbookadvisor.com]

New York, New York:

North Short Sports writes up a hefty analysis of the dual. Quite frankly, they’re a bit scared that the game “could be ugly for the hosts.” [blog.gamblerspalace.com]

Auls, of goonersguide.com, makes a good point that the emotion-filled Fenway may “lead to more pressure on the home team to put on a show.” He also thinks the Yankees batting line up continues to produce powerhouse runs and that their pitching will also edge Boston. He predicts the end score will be New York 8, Boston 5. [goonersguide.com]

A Fashion-Forward Game Day:

“The Sox won their inaugural game, beating New York 7-6 in 11 innings,” (symbolic of the rivalry to come? We think so …) [NESN]

Season Predictions and Feelings about the Teams:

Eric Wilbur vents about his gripes with “Sweet Caroline,” the demise of the Red Sox franchise, and deems the “birthday party” is a distraction from it all. [Boston.com]

Ron Chimelis’ spills all with his picks for the 2012 MLB season. According to him, New York will take first for the AL East and take home another World Series title. Oh yeah, he also doesn’t think the Sox will get the AL Wild Card, eek. [MassLive.com]

Both teams off to a slow start this season, Garrett Elliot says it doesn’t mean much. Both teams have had opening weekend struggles that have ended in success. [Bleacher Report]