Friday, June 05

BOSTON – The road has been oddly comforting for the underperforming Red Sox of late, as they’ve won nine of their last 12 games not played at Fenway Park.

If they can continue that trend this weekend, it might finally give them the burst of momentum they’ve been seeking all season.

The Sox open a three-game series on Friday night in the belly of the beast, Yankee Stadium, marking the club’s first visit to the Bronx this season. Through the years, few things have sparked Boston like a good showing in New York. 

This will be the first time interim manager Chad Tracy has been at the helm during a rivalry series. When the Sox were swept by the Yankees at Fenway April 21-23, they only scored three runs. 

Here are some key Red Sox subplots for the series at Yankee Stadium.

Sonny Gray headlines the opener 

How fitting that the Sox will send Sonny Gray to the mound for the opener of this three-game set. It has been well-chronicled that Gray didn’t perform well as a Yankee, going 15-16 with a 4.51 ERA during his brief stint in 2017-18. 

On the day Gray had his introductory Zoom after his trade to the Red Sox in November, the righty added fuel to the fire by expressing his displeasure with the New York experience.

“New York, it just wasn't a good situation for me,” said Gray. “Wasn't a great setup for me and my family. I never wanted to go there in the first place. When that was kind of happening, we were in Oakland, and I was getting traded. It just didn’t really work for who I am.”

You can bet those comments, even though they are six months old, will raise the ire of Yankees fans when Gray takes the mound on Friday.

“It’s nothing I can control. I’ll be all right,” said Gray.

Gray has pitched twice at Yankee Stadium as a visitor, once before he played for the Yankees and once after, posting a 2.77 ERA while taking two no-decisions. In 16 starts in the home pinstripes, it was a different story, as Gray went 6-7 with a 6.55 ERA.

“There are probably a few places that get your blood pumping a little bit more than others, and that’s a very historic place, as is Fenway. I’m looking forward to it,” said Gray. “More importantly, we need to win some games. That’s just kind of where my head is. We need to try to put some good baseball together. We just need to win some games.”

The 36-year-old righty has been a bright spot for the Red Sox this season, going 6-1 with a 3.06 ERA.

Suarez seeks Rosy redemption 

While Gray was on the injured list during the previous rivalry series this season, Ranger Suarez, the free agent the Sox signed to a five-year, $130 million contract over the winter, had an outing he’d like to forget. 

In a 4-1 loss on April 22, Suarez lasted just 4 1/3 innings. His night was basically ruined when he gave up a three-run homer to Amed Rosario in the first inning. Suarez will get his chance to even the score when he takes the ball on Saturday night.

The lefty, like Gray, has been one of the best performers for the Sox in 2026, notching a 3.38 ERA over 11 starts. He made his first career start at Yankee Stadium last season while pitching for the Phillies, allowing one run over 5 2/3 innings.

Durbin’s Bronx debut

As a Yankees Minor Leaguer in 2023-24, Red Sox third baseman Caleb Durbin dreamt of one day calling the Bronx his home. However, he was traded to Milwaukee after that ‘24 season, then to the Sox just before Spring Training of this season. And Friday will mark his first career game at the cathedral that is Yankee Stadium.

Durbin got off to an uncomfortably slow start for the Red Sox at the plate, but has performed much better over the last five games, going 7-for-20, including four doubles and a triple. Now, perhaps he can use his opposite-field stroke to take aim at that short porch in right field.

“It was my first big league camp. So that was a big step for me,” said Durbin, reflecting on his time in the Yankees’ system. “You take it in steps, and getting your first big league camp is a big accomplishment. And that was the team that ended up making it to the World Series. So it was a really valuable experience just being around.” 

With the Red Sox leading 8-0 with two outs in the sixth inning on Wednesday night, Payton Tolle engaged in what became one of the most humorous balks you’ll ever see. A team can laugh at such things when they have a lead.

For reasons not even Tolle knows, he pitched from the windup with Colby Mayo on first base. Mayo, of course, took off. Tolle knew it was a helpless situation, so he balked and threw the ball to the backstop, prompting much laughter from the Boston dugout and even during a visit from pitching coach Andrew Bailey.

“I wish I could tell you [what happened there]. There was no brain there. Just, we're in a groove with the windup, let's go back to it. I hadn’t had a balk this year, so I thought this was the perfect time for it,” quipped Tolle. “I was in disbelief at myself. Creates good TV, I guess. I don't know.”

In conjunction with the Phillies, who are hosting this year’s All-Star festivities, MLB officially released the ballot for the July 14 Midsummer Classic on Wednesday.

The Red Sox position players who have the best candidacies are as follows: first baseman Willson Contreras, right fielder Wilyer Abreu and center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela.

Contreras has been just the right-handed hitting presence the Red Sox expected when they traded for him just before Christmas. Abreu and Rafaela, both Gold Glove Award winners last season, continue to play excellent defense while also making key contributions at the plate. 

Boston’s other players on the ballot are Carlos Narváez (catcher), Marcelo Mayer (second base), Trevor Story (shortstop), Durbin (third base), Jarren Duran (left field) and Roman Anthony (DH).

It all starts with phase one. Fans around the world can cast their votes exclusively online and via mobile devices at MLB.com/vote, all 30 Club websites, the MLB App and the MLB Ballpark App until the voting period for Phase 1 concludes at noon ET on Thursday, June 25.

To subscribe to Red Sox Beat, visit this page and mark "Red Sox Beat" from our newsletter list. Make sure you're following the Red Sox or that they're checked as your favorite team.

View Online

© 2026 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

Please review our Privacy Policy.

You (mlb-newsletters@mlb.com) received this message because you registered to receive commercial email messages or purchased a ticket from MLB. 

Please add info@marketing.mlbemail.com to your address book to ensure our messages reach your inbox. If you no longer wish to receive commercial email messages from MLB.com, please unsubscribe or log in and manage your email subscriptions.

Postal Address: MLB.com, c/o MLB Advanced Media, L.P., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.