The Red Sox and Yankees met 19 times during the regular season, with Boston winning 10 of the games; this was the first postseason meeting between the two rivals since the famed 2004 ALCS, which Boston took in seven games after falling behind 3–0 en route to its first World Series title in 86 years. The Astros and Indians met seven times during the regular season, with Houston holding a 4–3 edge; this was the first time the teams met in postseason play.