NEW YORK — The New York Yankees opened their first series of the season against the Boston Red Sox with a 9-6 victory Friday night, but lost shortstop Anthony Volpe midgame after he was struck by a pitch on the elbow.
Volpe launched a solo home run as part of a five-run first inning before taking an 88 mph pitch to the left elbow in the second. He remained in the game briefly but was replaced at the start of the fourth. Yankees manager Aaron Boone confirmed that both X-rays and a CT scan came back negative.
The Yankees stormed to a 7-0 lead after two innings, with Jazz Chisholm Jr. powering the offense. Chisholm had three hits, including a three-run homer in the first inning, and drove in four runs. Paul Goldschmidt also homered, and Aaron Judge added three hits to raise his league-leading batting average to .397.
Marcelo Mayer put the Red Sox on the board in the fifth with a 410-foot home run to right-center, the first of his major league career. Rafael Devers added a two-run shot in the seventh, his 29th home run against the Yankees.
Boston’s early hole proves costly
Boston starter Walker Buehler allowed seven runs—five earned—over just two innings of work, surrendering seven hits on 67 pitches. It was his first time pitching at Yankee Stadium since recording the final out of the 2023 World Series. The Red Sox committed two more errors in the loss, pushing their MLB-high total to 57 this season.
New York’s offense capitalized on Boston’s first-inning struggles, continuing a season-long trend. Yankees batters have now scored 20 runs in the first inning this year, tied for the most in the majors. Opponents are hitting .326 against Boston pitchers in the opening frame.
Reliever Will Warren earned the win for New York, while Devin Williams closed the game to earn his seventh save in eight opportunities.
Rotation set for game two
Looking ahead to Saturday night, the Yankees will send left-hander Ryan Yarbrough (3-0) to the mound, while the Red Sox counter with lefty Garrett Crochet (5-4).
