Red Sox vs. Yankees Opening Odds for American League Wild Card Game 1 (New York Favored With Schlittler Starting)

Taking a look at the opening odds for the Game 1 matchup in the American League Wild Card between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.

The New York Yankees and pitcher Cam Schlittler are favored in the wild card round. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For the second season in a row, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox meet in the American League wild card round. 

The winner will advance to play the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS, and oddsmakers currently have the Yankees favored to get there – even with Aaron Judge nursing a calf injury.

New York has already announced starters for all three games in this series, going with Cam Schlittler in Game 1, Max Fried in Game 2 and Gerrit Cole if a Game 3 is needed. The Yankees won the regular-season series with Boston by one game, and both of these teams ran away with wild card spots in a weak American League. 

Game 1 is set for Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 8:00 p.m. EST, and the Yankees find themselves favored in that matchup at home. 

Let’s dive into the opening odds for Game 1 – and this series – as baseball’s biggest rivalry gets yet another playoff chapter. 

Red Sox vs. Yankees Game 1 Odds, Run Line and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Run Line

• Red Sox +1.5 (-186)
• Yankees -1.5 (+153)

Moneyline

• Red Sox: +128
• Yankees: -155

Total

• 6.5 (Over -109/Under -111)

Schlittler made four regular-season starts against Boston, leading the Yankees to a 3-1 record in those outings. In the only loss, he allowed four runs (zero earned) and did not allow more than one earned run in any of his outings against Boston. 

The Red Sox have yet to announce a starter for Game 1, but they have multiple options in Payton Tolle, Ranger Suarez and Sonny Gray. I would expect some order of those three pitchers to take the mound in this series. 

Red Sox vs. Yankees Series Odds

• Boston: +140
• New York: -170

During the regular season, New York won seven of the 13 matchups between these two rivals, holding Boston to a .199 batting average as a team. 

The Yankees also dominated Boston in a four-game set in August, winning three of those matchups while outscoring the Sox 25-3 in the final two games. 

New York finished the regular season 12 games over .500 at home, but the Sox were 11 games over .500 on the road. The series odds suggest a close matchup, and with Aaron Judge banged up for the Yanks, I wouldn’t be shocked if this series goes the distance. 

If there's a concern for Boston, it's the team's offense. The Sox finished the regular season 19th in MLB in OPS (New York was 11th), and Boston was 29th in both OPS and batting average over the last 30 days of the campaign. That's a major concern against a Yankees' pitching staff that was No. 1 in the league in ERA during the regular season.

Both of these teams have elite pitching staffs, as Boston was third in team ERA and No. 1 in bullpen ERA (New York is No. 2), so bettors should expect some low-scoring affairs in this matchup. Still, the New York offense has a slightly higher ceiling, finishing ahead of Boston in Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) and runs scored while hitting the second-most home runs in baseball.

These teams met in the AL wild card in the 2025 season, and New York won that series in three games after Boston took Game 1.

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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