The New York Yankees opened their postseason series in dominant fashion on Tuesday night, defeating the Boston Red Sox 9-0 behind a stellar pitching performance from Cam Schlittler and a late-inning grand slam by Ben Rice. Playing in front of 48,437 spectators at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees cruised to victory despite missing star slugger Aaron Judge, who was sidelined with a calf injury.
Schlittler Dominates on the Mound
Cam Schlittler delivered 6 and 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits while striking out 10 batters and walking only one. The 25-year-old right-hander threw 117 pitches before leaving the game to a standing ovation in the seventh inning after yielding a one-out single to the Red Sox. Growing up in Massachusetts as a fan of the Red Sox and attending college in New England before being drafted by the Yankees, Schlittler retired 13 batters through the fifth inning, prompting chants of “MVP! MVP!” from the home crowd.
Rice Powers the Offense With Two Home Runs and Six RBIs
With Aaron Judge unavailable due to his calf injury, Ben Rice stepped into the offensive spotlight. Rice launched two home runs, including a decisive grand slam late in the game, and finished the night with four hits and six RBIs. Austin Wells added two RBIs from the ninth spot in the batting order, and 21-year-old George Lombard, 21 ans, notched three hits in his postseason debut to support Schlittler and the pitching staff.
Bullpen Preserves the Shutout and Sets Up Game Two
Following Schlittler’s departure in the seventh, relief pitcher Paul Blackburn entered the game and quickly induced a double play to end the threat and preserve the shutout. The victory gives the Yankees a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series. Game two is scheduled for Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium, where right-hander Sonny Gray is set to make his seventh career postseason start—his first since 2023 with the Minnesota Twins—facing Yankees left-hander Max Fried.
