Our Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees preview covers the odds, run line, total, probable pitchers, first pitch time, TV channel and where to watch for Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series on Wednesday, September 30, 2026. The No. 5-seeded Boston Red Sox (87-75) and the No. 4-seeded New York Yankees (93-68) meet again at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, N.Y., and the Yankees lead the best-of-three series 1-0 after Game 1. First pitch is 8:00 PM ET. TV: NBC / Peacock.
Wild Card storyline: New York won Tuesday’s opener 9-0 behind Cam Schlittler and a six-RBI night from Ben Rice and leads the best-of-three series 1-0. A Yankees win on Wednesday clinches the series and sends New York to the ALDS against the No. 1-seeded Tampa Bay Rays. A Red Sox win evens the series 1-1 and forces a winner-take-all Game 3 on Thursday, Oct. 1. The probable pitchers are Sonny Gray (18-5, 2.72) for the Red Sox and Max Fried (5-5, 2.80) for the Yankees. DraftKings lists the Yankees at -136 on the moneyline and the Red Sox at +113, with the total at 6.5.
Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees Odds, Run Line & Game Info
| Matchup | Boston Red Sox @ New York Yankees |
|---|---|
| Series | AL Wild Card Series, Game 2 (best-of-three, all games at Yankee Stadium) |
| Series Score | Yankees lead 1-0 (Game 1: Yankees 9, Red Sox 0) |
| Seeds | Boston Red Sox No. 5 | New York Yankees No. 4 (AL) |
| 2026 Records | Boston Red Sox 87-75 | New York Yankees 93-68 |
| Run Line | BOS +1.5 (-204) | NYY -1.5 (+167) |
| Moneyline | Boston Red Sox: +113 | New York Yankees: -136 |
| Total | O/U 6.5 (o-125 / u+103) |
| Venue | Yankee Stadium (Bronx, N.Y.) |
| Date / Time | Wednesday, September 30, 2026 — 8:00 PM ET |
| TV / How to Watch | NBC / Peacock |
| Probable Pitchers | Boston Red Sox: Sonny Gray (18-5, 2.72) | New York Yankees: Max Fried (5-5, 2.80) |
| Managers | Boston Red Sox: Chad Tracy | New York Yankees: Aaron Boone |
| 2026 Season Series | Yankees won the 2026 season series 7-6 |
Odds via DraftKings (through ESPN) as of Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, ~9:55 PM PT. Opening line: Yankees -129 / Red Sox +107, total 6.5 (DraftKings open via ESPN, posted Tuesday night). Lines move, so check your sportsbook before first pitch.
Red Sox vs Yankees Wild Card Series Context
Series status: The Yankees lead the best-of-three AL Wild Card Series 1-0. A Yankees win on Wednesday clinches the series and sends New York to the ALDS against the No. 1-seeded Tampa Bay Rays. A Red Sox win evens the series 1-1 and forces a winner-take-all Game 3 at Yankee Stadium on Thursday, Oct. 1 (time TBD, to be set Wednesday). All games are at Yankee Stadium, home of the higher-seeded Yankees.
Game 1 recap (Yankees 9, Red Sox 0): Cam Schlittler threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk with 10 strikeouts on 117 pitches. Paul Blackburn and John Schreiber finished the combined three-hitter. Austin Wells’ RBI single off Payton Tolle opened the scoring in the second, and Ben Rice homered off Erik Miller in the fifth. New York added two runs in the seventh on Rice’s RBI single and a run-scoring double-play grounder, then scored five in the eighth, capped by Rice’s grand slam off Brayan Bello. Rice went 4-for-5 with two homers, a double and six RBIs, and George Lombard Jr. had three hits. Tolle (0-1) took the loss after allowing one run on five hits in 4 2/3 innings, with one walk and four strikeouts (MLB Stats API box score).
Head-to-head: New York won the 2026 regular-season series 7-6, including 4-2 at Yankee Stadium. Boston swept four at Fenway in June, and New York took three of four in the Bronx at the end of August (MLB.com).
Postseason history: This is the rivals’ seventh postseason series and third Wild Card meeting, after 2021 and 2025. The Yankees won last year’s AL Wild Card Series 2-1, clinching Game 3 behind a 12-strikeout start from Schlittler (NBC Sports).
Boston Red Sox Preview: Wild Card Game 2
Season in review: Boston fired Alex Cora on April 25 after a 10-17 start. Triple-A Worcester manager Chad Tracy took over as interim, and on Sept. 22 the Red Sox removed the interim tag and gave him a three-year deal (Boston Globe, AP). The season included a 15-game winning streak. Boston finished 87-75 (3rd in the AL East) and went 46-35 on the road.
Key numbers: Boston scored 689 runs and allowed 611. The team hit .245 with a .716 OPS and 107 steals and posted a 3.54 ERA (MLB Stats API). Sonny Gray led the AL with 18 wins (NBC Sports).
Game 2 situation: The Red Sox face elimination. They had three hits in Game 1, singles by Adley Rutschman and Wilyer Abreu and a Trevor Story double. Five relievers followed Tolle: Miller (9 pitches), Greg Weissert (15), Alec Gamboa (15), Wyatt Olds (18) and Bello (21). Garrett Crochet did not pitch (MLB Stats API box score).
Roster notes: Ace Garrett Crochet is on the Wild Card Series roster after being reinstated from the 60-day IL. He has not pitched since April 25 because of a shoulder injury and is limited to short relief (Boston Globe, MLB Trade Rumors). Ranger Suárez is lined up for Game 3 if necessary (MLB Trade Rumors). ESPN lists Masataka Yoshida (hamstring, 10-day IL), Anthony Seigler (wrist, 10-day IL), Johan Oviedo and Zack Kelly (elbow, 60-day IL), and Kristian Campbell (foot bruise, day-to-day).
New York Yankees Preview: Wild Card Game 2
Season in review: Aaron Boone’s Yankees finished 93-68, second in the AL East and 4.5 games behind Tampa Bay, and went 46-34 at home. New York scored 739 runs and allowed an AL-low 601. The team hit 223 homers, stole 153 bases and posted a 3.24 ERA (MLB Stats API).
Key players: Ben Rice led the offense in the regular season with 41 home runs, 97 RBIs, a .534 slugging percentage and an .897 OPS (NBC Sports), then drove in six runs in Game 1. Schlittler led the AL in ERA (1.95). Blackburn (18 pitches) and Schreiber (11) were the only relievers used Tuesday (MLB Stats API).
Roster notes: Captain Aaron Judge (strained right calf) was left off the Wild Card Series roster. He was limited to 66 games this season and hit .241 with 18 homers and an .871 OPS (AP). Giancarlo Stanton, out since April 24 with calf strains, and center fielder Trent Grisham (hamstring) were included (AP, MLB Trade Rumors). Gerrit Cole would start a Game 3 (MLB Trade Rumors). ESPN lists Ryan Weathers (forearm, 15-day IL) and Clarke Schmidt (biceps, 15-day IL).
Starting Pitchers: Sonny Gray vs Max Fried
Red Sox: Sonny Gray (RHP, 18-5, 2.72 ERA) — 29 starts, 169.0 IP, 149 strikeouts, 46 walks, 1.15 WHIP (MLB Stats API). Gray beat the Yankees on June 5 (6.1 IP, 3 ER) and allowed one hit over 7 1/3 scoreless innings with nine strikeouts against them on June 28: 13 2/3 innings, three earned runs and 12 strikeouts in all. He last pitched Sept. 23 against Cleveland, with six scoreless innings (MLB Stats API).
Yankees: Max Fried (LHP, 5-5, 2.80 ERA) — 20 starts, 112.2 IP, 104 strikeouts, 33 walks, 0.99 WHIP, four home runs allowed (MLB Stats API). Fried threw eight scoreless innings with nine strikeouts at Fenway Park on April 22 and allowed one run in 3 2/3 innings against Boston on Aug. 29. That is 11 2/3 innings with one earned run and 13 strikeouts against the Red Sox. His last start was Sept. 22 against Tampa Bay (6.2 IP, 4 ER) (MLB Stats API).
Key Matchup Notes: Red Sox vs Yankees Game 2
- Series math: Yankees lead 1-0. New York clinches with a win; a Boston win forces Game 3 on Thursday.
- Gray vs New York: 1-0 with a 1.98 ERA (3 ER in 13.2 IP) and 12 strikeouts in two 2026 starts (MLB Stats API).
- Fried vs Boston: 1-0 with a 0.77 ERA (1 ER in 11.2 IP) and 13 strikeouts in two 2026 starts (MLB Stats API).
- Ben Rice: 4-for-5 with two homers and six RBIs in Game 1, after a 41-homer regular season (MLB Stats API, NBC Sports).
- Without Judge: Aaron Judge has been out since Sept. 16 and is not on the Wild Card roster. In Game 1, Trent Grisham started in center field in his return, with Cody Bellinger in left and Spencer Jones in right. Giancarlo Stanton is also on the roster (AP, MLB Trade Rumors, MLB Stats API box score).
How to Watch Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees – Wild Card Game 2
Date: Wednesday, September 30, 2026
First pitch: 8:00 PM ET (8:00 PM local)
Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, N.Y.
TV / Streaming: NBC and Peacock (Jason Benetti with Joe Girardi and Lou Merloni, reporter Caroline Pineda; Anthony Rizzo on “Inside the Pitch”). Bob Costas joins pregame coverage at Yankee Stadium. NBC Sports says Universo carries Spanish-language coverage of the first three Wednesday games, including this one, and Peacock offers SAP. ESPN Radio has national radio coverage.
Game 3, if necessary, is Thursday, Oct. 1 at Yankee Stadium, with the time to be set on Wednesday (NBC Sports). Check the run line, moneyline and total above against your sportsbook before the September 30, 2026 first pitch, and look for official lineups closer to game time.