Boston Red Sox Announce Starting Pitchers for Wild Card Series vs. Yankees

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ARLINGTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 17: Sonny Gray #54 of the Boston Red Sox pitches against the Texas Rangers in the first inning at Globe Life Field on September 17, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)

The Boston Red Sox will play the New York Yankees in the American League Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium this week.

Here is the schedule for the series:

• Game 1: 8:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, Sept. 29
• Game 2: 8:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, Sept. 30
• Game 3 (if necessary): 8:00 p.m. EDT on Thursday, Oct. 1

All of the games will be available to watch on NBC and Peacock.

On Monday, the Red Sox officially announced their starting pitchers for the series.

Boston Red Sox Announce Starting Pitchers For Wild Card Series Against New York Yankees

Here are the Red Sox’s starting pitchers for the Wild Card Series:

• Game 1: LHP Payton Tolle
• Game 2: RHP Sonny Gray
• Game 3: LHP Ranger Suarez

From MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch on X: The Red Sox are planning to start Payton Tolle, Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez, in that order, vs. the Yankees.

Bryan Hoch ⚾️

@BryanHoch · Follow

The Red Sox are planning to start Payton Tolle, Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez, in that order, vs. the Yankees.

12:52 pm · 28 Sep 2026

14 Reply Copy link Read 1 replies

Here are the Yankees’ starting pitchers for the series:

• Game 1: RHP Cam Schlittler
• Game 2: LHP Max Fried
• Game 3: RHP Gerrit Cole

Looking at LHP Payton Tolle

Tolle had a breakout sophomore season, posting a 3.03 ERA with 171 strikeouts in 148 2/3 innings across 26 starts.

Tolle made his MLB debut last season. He recorded a 6.06 ERA with 19 strikeouts over 16 1/3 innings in his first year in the big leagues.

Tolle, 23, made an appearance in the 2025 Wild Card Series against the Yankees.

In his lone postseason appearance, Tolle retired the only batter he faced.

Looking at RHP Sonny Gray

Gray has had an outstanding year, posting a 2.72 ERA with 149 strikeouts over 169 innings.

The Red Sox acquired Gray from the St. Louis Cardinals over the offseason. The right-hander is an impending free agent.

In his 14 years in the majors, Gray has posted a 3.51 ERA with 2,074 strikeouts over 2,087 innings.

In six postseason starts, Gray has recorded a 3.26 ERA with 30 strikeouts over 30 1/3 innings.

Looking at LHP Ranger Suarez

Suarez signed a five-year, $130 million contract with the Red Sox over the offseaosn.

He pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies from 2018-25.

In his first season with Boston, Suarez posted a strong 3.22 ERA with 140 strikeouts in 148 1/3 innings.

He has a career ERA of 3.35 with 845 strikeouts over 910 1/3 innings. He has been lights-out in the postseason, recording a 1.48 ERA with 44 strikeouts over 42 2/3 innings.