Game 1 was a pair of Massachusetts kids beating the home-state team. Schlittler gave up 2 singles and 1 walk over 6⅓ innings, and Ben Rice went 4-for-5 with 2 homers and 6 RBI, the last 4 on an 8th-inning grand slam that turned a pitchers' duel against Payton Tolle into a rout. With a 64-degree cloudy night and barely any wind in the forecast, nothing about the weather should help either offense.
Boston's recent form is a real warning sign. In their last 5 they scored 0, 4, 2, 2 and 0, which is 8 runs total with 2 shutouts, and that includes a 1-0 loss to Cleveland in which the pitching did its job. They took 2 of 3 from the Cubs by scraping out 1- and 2-run wins. That's how Boston has to win tonight too: Gray goes deep, the bullpen holds a small lead, and somebody gets 1 big hit. The Yankees have won 4 of their last 5 and 2 straight, and Rice's night showed this lineup can still do damage with Judge on the bench.
Boston's injury list is long, and it has hit the pitching staff as well as the lineup. Justin Slaten went to the 60-day IL and Tyron Guerrero is out with a shoulder strain, which thins out the relievers who would protect a late lead for Gray. New York's list is shorter, but Judge's name at the top of it changes how pitchers can attack their order. It's Yankees-Red Sox in October with Boston's season on the line, so neither side will hold anything back.