Saturday’s New York Yankees–Boston Red Sox game at Yankee Stadium was wiped out by thunderstorms, turning a scheduled three-game series into a two-game set — with Sunday’s finale now the only chance either club gets to close out the weekend with momentum. Now Sunday’s game has been delayed.
But the delay appears to be a short one, with the tarp coming off the field quickly. By 1:55 p.m. Yankees starter Cam Schlittler was on the mound warming up.
That meant the delay lasted only 21 minutes.
The Saturday postponement has been rescheduled as the first game of a split-admission doubleheader on Aug. 29, starting at 1:05 p.m. ET, according to a MLB.com announcement. Fans holding Saturday tickets can use them for that makeup date or exchange them for another regular-season home game.
Red Sox Hold Friday’s Game 1 Win Over Yankees
Willson Contreras did the heavy lifting in Friday’s series opener, homering and driving in three runs to carry Boston to a 5-3 victory, according to ESPN. The win was particularly pointed given the backdrop: the Yankees placed Aaron Judge on the injured list earlier that day with a stress fracture in his right rib.
Contreras’ two-run shot off Ryan Weathers reached the second deck in left field and stayed fair in the fifth inning, his second straight game with a home run. He also broke a 1-1 tie with an infield single in the third.
Former Yankee Sonny Gray earned his fifth consecutive victory since returning from a hamstring injury, allowing three runs and eight hits across 6 1/3 innings. “He’s the best hitter in the sport, so you know there’s a void there,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Judge’s absence, according to CBS Sports.
Boston has now won six of its last seven games at Yankee Stadium. New York, meanwhile, is 1-3 since Judge went down with the rib injury.
Yankees, Red Sox Sunday Game Briefly Delayed
On Sunday morning, ahead of the 1:35 p.m. ET finale, Roth was back on social media tracking a fresh downpour near the stadium.
“Yankees may want to late start for this downpour that popped,” he wrote, noting the game would go on but warning that skipping a delayed start would risk an early stoppage. Minutes later came the update: “There’s the late start in NY. Game will play fine with no other issues.”
Ranger Suárez, originally slated to pitch Saturday night, shifts to Sunday’s start for Boston. The Yankees counter with Cam Schlittler, while Will Warren — pulled from his Saturday assignment — moves to Monday’s opener against the Cleveland Guardians, according to Yahoo Sports.
The standings frame what’s at stake. New York enters Sunday at 37-26, sitting second in the AL East. Boston is 27-35, fifth in the division, and 16-18 under interim manager Chad Tracy. A sweep Sunday would not close the gap dramatically, but it would give Boston a rare statement win in a series robbed of its middle chapter by the weather.
The Red Sox carry a 10-21 mark at Fenway Park this season but have been a different team on the road. Sunday’s finale is the last shot — for now — at pressing that advantage before the clubs meet again in August.
Why is the Red Sox-Yankees Sunday Game Delayed? When Will it Start?