Yankees blank Red Sox 2–0 in Wild Card opener behind Schlittler and Rice

NEW YORK — The New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 2–0 at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night in Game 1 of their American League Wild Card Series, taking the first step in a best-of-three matchup between the old rivals.

Right-hander Cam Schlittler set the tone. He struck out eight batters over the first four scoreless innings and needed only about 50 pitches to get there, drawing chants from the home crowd.

Two runs were enough

New York scored first in the second inning when catcher Austin Wells lined a run-scoring single through the right side. Designated hitter Ben Rice doubled the lead with a solo home run in the fifth. Boston's hitters could not break through against Schlittler or the Yankees bullpen.

The Yankees won without star outfielder Aaron Judge, who was left off the Wild Card roster while he recovers from a calf strain. The team hopes he can return for the Division Series if New York advances.

What's next

Since Major League Baseball moved to the best-of-three Wild Card format in 2022, the winner of Game 1 has almost always gone on to take the series. Boston must now win the next two games to stay alive. Elsewhere Tuesday, Atlanta beat Philadelphia and the Chicago White Sox beat Houston.