The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees will meet in the Bronx in Game 2 of their American League Wild Card series on Wednesday night. After a thrilling Game 1 in which Boston struck late to get a 3–1 win, the Yankees are facing elimination at home. Can New York avoid elimination and set up a deciding Game 3 on Thursday? Here, I attempt to answer that question and make my Red Sox vs Yankees Game 2 prediction.
Our Red Sox vs Yankees Game 2 Pick
- Pick: Under 7.5
- Confidence: 3/5
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees
- Date & Time: Wednesday, Oct 1, 2025, 6:08 PM ET
- Starting Pitchers: Brayan Bello (BOS) vs Carlos Rodón (NYY)
- Stadium: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
- Broadcast: ESPN
Key Storylines
Pitching matchup
Boston will turn to Brayan Bello in Game 2 of this series. He posted an 11-9 record with a 3.35 ERA and struck out 124 batters during the regular season. His splits were excellent against the Yankees this season. In three starts, he went 2–1 with a 1.89 ERA and racked up 17 strikeouts over 19 innings. Yankees hitters batted just .172 against him in those outings.
New York will go with Carlos Rodón in this elimination game. Rodon went 18–9 in the regular season with a 3.09 ERA and over 200 strikeouts. Rodón is capable of dominating lineups and has a postseason pedigree. But he won’t have much margin for error if the Yankees’ offense struggles to put runs on the board for a second straight night.
Key Players
- Masataka Yoshida: Yoshida delivered the go-ahead pinch-hit two-run single in Game 1 for Boston.
- Alex Bregman: Bregman went 2-4 in Game 1 and drove in the insurance run that gave Boston a two-run lead in the ninth inning.
- Anthony Volpe: The Yankee shortstop hit a solo homer in Game 1, producing the only run of the game for his team.
- Aroldis Chapman: Boston’s closer got out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the bottom of the ninth inning to close the door on his former team.
Recent team streaks
Boston has won two games in a row and three of their last four. They will not have Garrett Crochet to lean on in this playoff game, though, and will need to prove themselves without their Cy Young-caliber ace. New York had an eight-game winning streak snapped in their loss to the Red Sox on Tuesday night.
Best Player Props
| Player | Prop Type | Pick |
|---|---|---|
| Masataka Yoshida | Total Bases | Under 1.5 |
| Alex Bregman | Total Bases | Under 1.5 |
| Brayan Bello | Strikeouts | Over 5.5 |
Betting Trends & H2H
- Boston is 10-4 against the Yankees this year between the regular season and postseason.
- The opening game of this series stayed under the total. There were four total runs scored in the game.
Red Sox vs Yankees Game 2 Model Projection
Score Projection: Yankees 4 – Red Sox 3
Win Probability: Yankees 55%, Red Sox 45%
Final Thoughts
Boston has the momentum heading into Game 2 of this series. But the Yankees have the starting pitching advantage in this game, something they did not have going into Game 1. I think the Yankees will even this series at a game apiece, but I prefer to take the under in this spot as both offenses struggled in Tuesday’s opener.
