How to watch Yankees vs. Red Sox in AL Wild Card game: Free live stream, time, TV, channel for MLB Playoffs

New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo (48, right) reacts after he made the play for the final out in the top of the 9th inning against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees won, 5-2.

New York Yankees shortstop Andrew Velazquez throws out Boston Red Sox's Kevin Plawecki over third baseman Rougned Odor on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees won, 5-2.

New York Yankees celebrate after the final out in the top of the 9th inning was confirmed against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees won, 5-2.

New York Yankees Rougned Odor (12) rounds third base and motors home to score the Yanks' second run of the game in the second inning against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Yankee Stadium.

Boston Red Sox left fielder J.D. Martinez (28) can't catch this single hit by New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez (24) in the second inning on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Yankee Stadium.

New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman (54) watches the flight of a solo home run hit by Boston Red Sox right fielder Hunter Renfroe (10) in the top of the 9th inning on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees won, 5-2.

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone (17) and catcher Gary Sanchez walk out to the mound to pull closer Aroldis Chapman in the 9th inning against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees won, 5-2.

A fan holds up a sign that reads 'Yanks Sweep Sox' as the Bombers take the lead in the second inning against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Yankee Stadium.

New York Yankees Rougned Odor (12) was originally called out by umpire Jerry Meals (41, right) in the second inning against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Yankee Stadium. The call was overturned after video review and Odor would score the Yankees second run of the game.

A fan offers to trade his brothers for an autograph from New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge (99) before the first pitch against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Yankee Stadium.

Boston Red Sox left fielder J.D. Martinez (28) can't catch this single hit by New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez (24) in the second inning on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Yankee Stadium.

The scene on the mound in the second inning as Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora (13, right) comes out to remove starting pitcher Nick Pivetta (37, center) from the game on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Yankee Stadium.

New York Yankees third baseman Rougned Odor (12) salute the bleacher creatures during the first inning against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Yankee Stadium.

New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) watches the flight of a home run hit by Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts (2) in the first inning on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Yankee Stadium.

New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99, left) and manager Aaron Boone (17) in the second inning against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Yankee Stadium.

Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts (2) pounds his right bicep as he rounds third after he hit a solo home run in the first inning against the New York Yankees on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Yankee Stadium.

New York Yankees left fielder Brett Gardner (11) legs out an infield hit as Boston Red Sox first baseman Bobby Dalbec (29) can't handle the throw on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees won, 5-2.

New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo flies out to left during the first inning against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Yankee Stadium.

New York Yankees starting pitcher Andrew Heaney (38) delivers the first pitch against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Yankee Stadium.

New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99, left) and manager Aaron Boone (17) in the second inning against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Yankee Stadium.

New York Yankees starting pitcher Andrew Heaney (38) was on the mound against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Yankee Stadium.

New York Yankees shortstop Andrew Velazquez (71) is congratulated by manager Aaron Boone (17) after Velazquez scored in the second inning against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Yankee Stadium.

New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) grimaces during an at-bat during the second inning against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Yankee Stadium.

New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo (48, right) speaks with third base coach Phil Nevin (88) during the second inning against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Yankee Stadium.

New York Yankees celebrate after the final out in the top of the 9th inning was confirmed against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees won, 5-2.

New York Yankees first baseman Luke Voit (59) did not play on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees won, 5-2.

New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo (48, right) reacts after he made the play for the final out in the top of the 9th inning against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees won, 5-2.

New York Yankees shortstop Andrew Velazquez (71) makes a play at short on a ground ball hit by Boston Red Sox first baseman Bobby Dalbec in the 8th inning on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees won, 5-2.

New York Yankees shortstop Andrew Velazquez (71) makes a play at short on a ground ball hit by Boston Red Sox first baseman Bobby Dalbec in the 8th inning on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees won, 5-2.

New York Yankees shortstop Andrew Velazquez (71) delivers an RBI single in the second inning against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Yankee Stadium.

New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman reacts after he walked a Boston Red Sox batter in the 9th on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees won, 5-2.

New York Yankees shortstop Andrew Velazquez (71), a Bronx native, in the field against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees won, 5-2.

New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (27, left) and manager Aaron Boone (17) in the dugout against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees won, 5-2.

New York Yankees shortstop Andrew Velazquez (71) takes off from first base as Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Josh Taylor (38) delivers a pitch on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees won, 5-2.

New York Yankees shortstop Andrew Velazquez (71), a Bronx native, during an at bat against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees won, 5-2.

The New York Yankees face the Boston Red Sox in the AL Wild Card game on Tuesday, October 5, 2021 (10/5/21) at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts.

Fans can watch the game for free via a trial of fuboTV.

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The winner of the one-game playoff advances to the ALDS, where they will face the Tampa Bay Rays in a four-game series. The loser is eliminated from the playoffs and their season is over.

Here’s what you need to know:

What: AL Wild Card Game

Who: Yankees vs. Red Sox

When: Tuesday, October 5, 2021

Where: Fenway Park

Time: 8 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Channel finder: Verizon Fios, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, Cox, DIRECTV, Dish, Hulu, fuboTV, Sling.

Live stream: fuboTV (free trial)

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***

Baseball’s regular season closed with a flourish — the New York Yankees and Boston both won in their last at-bat to wrap up playoff spots.

And for a while, it looked like there might be even more excitement than that.

The final day began with four teams still in the mix for the American League’s two wild cards — all of them within a game of each other — and the top two teams in baseball fighting it out for the NL West title. For all the talk about postseason expansion, the current format held up pretty well this year, if the idea is to create compelling, close races at the end of the season.

Consider what this year’s standings would have produced if baseball had a 14-team postseason with four wild cards per league. In the AL, seventh-place Seattle finished four games ahead of eighth-place Oakland. No race to the finish there, and the fight for the No. 1 seed (and a first-round bye) would have gone comfortably to Tampa Bay.

In the NL, the Giants and Dodgers would have battled to the end for the top seed, the same way they did for the division title. Seventh-place Philadelphia finished three games ahead of a sub-.500 San Diego team.

What makes the conversation about postseason expansion tricky is that it’s hard to find consensus on what the goal of the playoff format should be. Is it to reward the best teams? Is it to keep more teams in the race? Is it to create an exciting finish to the regular season for neutral fans?

The 106-win Dodgers, who finished a game behind San Francisco in the NL West, now have to face St. Louis in a single-elimination situation. Meanwhile, 88-win Atlanta goes straight to the Division Series. Maybe that seems unfair, but the current playoff format made the NL West race matter and forced both the Dodgers and Giants to keep playing important games all the way to the end.

Those are the types of tradeoffs that need to be considered.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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