NEW YORK — There was no debating the better team all year, and there was no debating the better team in this series.

The 108-win Red Sox entered the postseason with more questions than the SATs while the wild card Yankees looked like a team nobody wanted to face in October.

And yet it was the Sox who looked like juggernauts by the time the American League Division Series was finished last night at Yankee Stadium.

Rick Porcello earned his first win in a playoff start, Christian Vazquez hit his first home run since June 26 and Chris Sale pitched the eighth inning in a bizarro Game 4 victory, 4-3, that secured the Red Sox’ first playoff series win since 2013.

Next up: the world champion Houston Astros in the seven-game American League Championship Series that will begin Saturday night at Fenway Park.

“Coming in here, Yankee Stadium, a lot of guys doubted us," shortstop Xander Bogaerts said. "A lot of guys doubted us. I had the off day, and I turned on the TV, everything is, ‘Yankees winning in four. Yankees in four.’ I'm like, ‘What is going on?’ No one is picking the Red Sox, but all of us in here picked ourselves, and it was fun. … How can we have 108 wins and they'll be like the Yankees are going to win in four? I don't understand."

Red Sox owner John Henry also felt the Red Sox were written off coming into Yankee Stadium on Monday.

"It felt like the media thought when it was 1-1 that we were down 0-2," he said. "That’s what I was reading. That was the feeling. But I think the media from the first day of spring training was pretty negative, even though we won the division two years in a row. Just needed to be a little more aggressive in our approach because these guys are so talented, they just needed somebody to say, 'Go get 'em.'

"And they went and got them this year, all year long."

The Sox out-classed the Yankees with better performances in every phase during these four games, but they’ll go into the ALCS with a particular confidence in their starting rotation, which allowed just seven runs in 19 innings (3.32 ERA). Yankees starters pitched just 13 innings and gave up an astounding 15 runs.

It’s hard to argue there’s a more important development after the Red Sox starting rotation had a 10.96 ERA in seven postseason games combined in 2016 and '17.

“We got used to pitching in the playoffs,” pitching coach Dana LeVangie said. “Chris Sale’s first time, his first start was in Houston last year. He settled his nerves a little bit. Rick Porcello is growing up. He’s comfortable where he’s at. He’s trusting himself. Nathan Eovaldi, first time, but Nathan is the same guy regardless of what day it is, it doesn’t matter. Same guy all the time.”

Porcello carried the torch for five innings of one-run ball against the Yankees last night after Sale threw 5? innings (two runs) in Game 1 and Nathan Eovaldi threw the gem of the series with seven innings (one run) in Game 3.

A pending free agent, Eovaldi “made himself a lot of money,” LeVangie said. But he also might have earned a promotion to start Game 2 against the Astros at Fenway Park on Sunday in place of David Price, whose teams are now 0-10 in his 10 career postseason starts.

“I don’t know about that, but Nathan is just, his calming influence allows him to have success in these big games,” LeVangie said.

The Red Sox bullpen threw 17 innings and allowed seven runs.

The Yankees bullpen was the class of the league, with four proven closers ready to come out at any time. They had a 3.38 ERA in the regular season. And the Red Sox plated 12 runs off them in 17 innings this series.

Alex Cora managed circles around Aaron Boone, whose head might not stop spinning until spring training. It’s possible Cora didn’t make a single mistake this series. And if he did, it’ll be overshadowed by his bullpen maneuvering in Game 1, lineup decisions in Games 3 (Brock Holt) and 4 (Ian Kinsler, Eduardo Nunez and Vazquez) and bullpen usage last night.

Kinsler hit a line drive to score the second run, and Nunez singled to drive in the third in the third inning. Vazquez hit a home run off Zach Britton in the fourth.

In the series, the Red Sox hit just as many homers (four) as the Yankees, who set an MLB record for home runs this season but didn’t hit any in their two games at Yankee Stadium, where Eovaldi and Porcello out-dueled Luis Severino and CC Sabathia without contest in back-to-back games.

“It’s nice to get past the first round, for sure, absolutely,” Porcello said. “I think we’ve been a good enough ballclub to do so the last three years, but this year we finally broke through.”

Cora got five good innings out of Porcello, who also pitched the eighth inning in Game 1.

Then it was an inning each from Matt Barnes, Ryan Brasier and Sale, who became the second starting pitcher to handle the eighth inning this series.

There was sizable risk in that move, given that if it didn’t work, either the Red Sox would have to bring back Sale on one day of rest to pitch Game 5 on Thursday, or turn to Price, who was one of just two Red Sox pitchers who had a bad series (Eduardo Rodriguez being the other).

“First thing I told Cora when I came in the clubhouse, I was ready for multiple innings, beginning, middle or end of the game,” Sale said. “Didn’t matter, I wanted to get in there.”

And if it didn't work out, Sale pitched and the Sox still lost Game 4? The plan was to turn to Sale again in Game 5.

“If we didn’t use Barnes and Brasier leading up to the eighth, then potentially we avoid Chris,” LeVangie said. “There’s never an automatic win, but that’s the way we felt. We need to win this game. If we use Chris Sale, knowing he potentially starts on Thursday, we have to win this.”

Sale came out throwing in the mid-90s. Gleyber Torres took him to the warning track on a changeup for the first out, Andrew McCutchen grounded out on a fastball and then Sale struck out Aaron Hicks on a nasty slider to finish the eighth on just 13 pitches.

“We’ve been talking about it for a couple days,” LeVangie said. “He didn’t throw a side leading up this game because of potentially pitching in this.”

Craig Kimbrel got the ninth, and as usual, he made it interesting, giving up one single, two walks and one hit-by-pitch before finally clinching the series with the tying run on second base.

The Yankees might have the younger team with most of their superstars under their control for years to come, while the Red Sox have a narrow to window to win it all. But it's the Sox who win the 2018 season and keep their World Series dreams alive.

The Yankees are going home.

“This is such a great rivalry,” Henry said. “They’re going to have a great team again next year. I look forward to another 19 games next year and hopefully we’ll see them in the playoffs again.”