Can you ask for anything more on Opening Day? Well, this game was supposed to be the first pitch of the season, but it was pushed back until Friday. It is still Opening Day for these two teams though. These rivals faced each other in the AL Wild Card game last season with the Red Sox winning a blowout, and now we get to see them matchup to start the season.
This game was scheduled to be at 105pm EST to open the season, but it was postponed due to rain. Baseball is so necessary in April, but the weather doesn’t always cooperate. The Red Sox come in having picked up Trevor Story towards the end of free agency, while the Yankees made a big move to acquire Josh Donaldson during the offseason. Both these teams have exceptional lineups with questions about their pitching staffs, so I think whichever pitching staff pitches halfway decent should win this game. These two aces faced each other in the winner-take-all Wild Card game last season, a format that is now a thing of the past. I would say it’s pretty fitting that the last winner-take-all AL Wild Card game was between these two teams.
Nathan Eovaldi (11-9 3.75 ERA) absolutely dominated the Yankees all last season, outside of one start in late September. He also came back and dominated the Yankees in the Wild Card game allowing just 1 ER in 5.1 IP with 8 strikeouts. Gerrit Cole (16-8 3.23 ERA) pitched really well to start last season but that was before the sticky substance ban. He faced Boston four times last season and didn’t pitch particularly well, winning two games and losing two games. He was also shelled in his only postseason start last year against the Red Sox allowing 3 ER in just 2 IP.
I think there will be some mind games going on after the way last season ended and I think this line should be much closer to even. The Red Sox won the season series 10-9 last season, and the Yankees were just 36-40 within the division. Yankees were also just 23-33 in day games in 2021. These two teams are about as even as you can get, and I don’t think playing at home has much of an advantage to open the season. The player introductions are long, the pregame is long, and the red carpets introducing the players before the game drain their energy. This game should be much closer to even money, especially after the way last season ended. Take the Red Sox at plus money.
