Red Sox vs. Yankees Wild Card Showdown: Which Team’s Edge Will Decide the High-Stakes Clash?

Picture this: bases jam-packed, zero outs, bottom of the ninth, and your team’s down by a couple runs. That was the thrilling stage for Game 1 as the Yankees stared down the barrel against Boston’s Aroldis Chapman. Up to bat? Giancarlo Stanton, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Trent Grisham — all poised, all hungry. But it wasn’t their night. Stanton struck out cold, Chisholm Jr. sent a fly ball right to the right field, and Grisham also went down swinging. Just like that — the game was Boston’s.

Yet, the real headline wasn’t just the last inning drama — it was Garrett Crochet stepping into the spotlight. This 26-year-old southpaw, snatched from the White Sox during the offseason, was nothing short of phenomenal. He tossed a career-high 117 pitches across 7.2 innings, allowing just four hits — including a solo blast by Anthony Volpe early on — and peppered the strike zone for 11 punchouts. Meanwhile, Max Fried started strong for the Yankees, matching zeroes for over six innings but bowed out after 102 pitches. Enter Luke Weaver — who, abruptly, surrendered hits to two batters, flipping a 1-0 lead into a 2-1 shortfall.

Looking ahead, the Yankees are banking on Carlos Rodon to keep their postseason alive, with the Red Sox countering with Brayan Bello. Buckle up, because this series is far from settled.

Stick around — we’ll unpack all the crucial intel for Game 2: from how to catch the first pitch, latest odds and player stats, to our expert predictions and best bets, all fueled by sharp modeling tools and seasoned analysts.

For everything else fantasy and betting-related this postseason, remember to hit up Rotoworld Player News to stay ahead of the game.

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Bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the ninth inning down by two runs.

That was the scenario in Game 1 for the Yankees as Boston’s Aroldis Chapman prepared to face Giancarlo Stanton, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Trent Grisham.

Stanton struck out.

Chisholm Jr. flied out to right.

Grisham struck out.

Ballgame. Boston takes Game 1 of this Wild Card series.

As exciting as the bottom of the ninth was, the story was Garrett Crochet. Acquired in the offseason from the White Sox to fill the void at the top of their rotation, the 26-year-old lefthander delivered. Crochet dominated throwing a career-high 117 pitches over 7.2 innings allowing just four hits including an Anthony Volpe solo blast in the second inning. Along the way, Crochet struck out 11.

Max Fried started for the Yankees and was nearly as good if not slightly better allowing four hits and striking out six over 6.1 shutout innings. The difference was Max was deemed to be fried after throwing 102 pitches. Max left the mound and Luke Weaver promptly allowed hits to the only two batters he faced, and a 1-0 lead turned into a 2-1 deficit.

The Yankees now turn to Carlos Rodon Wednesday hoping to avoid elimination from the postseason. The Red Sox are handing the rock to Brayan Bello.

Lets dive into the matchup and perhaps find a few sweats along the way.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch the first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

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Game details & how to watch Red Sox at Yankees – Game 2

Date: Wednesday, October 1, 2025
Time: 6:08PM EST
Site: Yankee Stadium
City: Bronx, NY
Network/Streaming: ESPN

Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.

Odds for the Red Sox at the Yankees – Game 2

The latest odds as of Tuesday courtesy of DraftKings:

Moneyline: Boston Red Sox (+138), New York Yankees (-169)
Spread: Yankees -1.5 (+131)
Total: 7.5 runs

Probable starting pitchers for Red Sox at Yankees – Game 2

Pitching matchup for October 1, 2025: Brayan Bello vs. Carlos Rodon
- Red Sox: Brayan Bello (11-9, 3.35 ERA)
  Bello has allowed 15 earned runs in just 25 innings in September (5.40 ERA)
- Yankees: Carlos Rodon (18-9, 3.09 ERA)
  Rodon has struck out 5 or more in three of his last four starts

Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Red Sox at Yankees

After closing the regular season with 2 hits in his final 14 ABs (.143), Anthony Volpe opened the playoffs with 2 hits in 3 ABs
With his 2 hits Tuesday night, Alex Bregman now has 90 hits in 100 career playoff games
Aaron Judge picked up a couple of hits in 4 ABs to give him 47 hits in 224 (.210) postseason ABs
Luke Weaver had not allowed a run in his previous six appearances

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Expert picks & predictions for Game 2 between the Red Sox and the Yankees

Rotoworld Best Bet

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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Tuesday’s game between the Red Sox and the Yankees:

Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the New York Yankees -1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 7.5.

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