Red Sox announce pitching rotation for wild-card series

Boston Red Sox pitcher Payton Tolle. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Red Sox announce pitching rotation for wild-card series

By Andrew Wright | Last updated Sep 28, 2026 4:03 PM ET

One of the two American League Wild Card Series features a matchup of the greatest rivalry in Major League Baseball with the Boston Red Sox taking on the New York Yankees.

Both teams have excellent starting pitching that they hope will carry them through the series. New York announced its rotation for the series on Sunday and now, on Monday, Boston has revealed its starting pitching plans for the series.

Payton Tolle, Sonny Gray to get Games 1 & 2

According to Red Sox manager Chad Tracy, it will be left-hander Payton Tolle getting the ball in Game 1 for the Red Sox and the starter for Game 2 will be right-hander Sonny Gray.

Tolle and Gray each had stellar seasons, with Tolle posting a 3.03 ERA in his rookie season while Gray tied for the major league lead in wins with 18.

Additionally, both were very successful in two starts each against the Yankees in the regular season.

Tracy said former Yankee Sonny Gray will go in Game 2 and, if Game 3 is necessary, it will be Ranger Suarez https://t.co/WvagtijcBE
— Erik Boland (@eboland11) September 28, 2026

Ranger Suarez will get the if necessary game

As noted above, Tracy revealed it would be left-hander Ranger Suarez that gets the start if the series reaches the third game.

Suarez struggled in a major way against New York in the regular season, as he posted a 6.06 ERA across three starts and 16 1/3 innings. He allowed the Yankees to hit .308 against him with two home runs.

Heliot Ramos blasts his first home run in a Yankee uniform

The Yankees have put up FIVE on Ranger Suarez in the 5th inning! pic.twitter.com/6whzgz3Vbi
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) August 30, 2026

Pitching could be the difference in the series

Both the Red Sox and Yankees offenses have shown a tendency to go cold, making the pitching efforts from both sides even more important. With the struggles from Suarez against New York in the regular season, it would seem that a Game 3 would favor the Bronx Bombers.

Boston will certainly hope to wrap up the series in two games and have Suarez available against the Tampa Bay Rays, a team he posted a 1.59 ERA against in the regular season.

Andrew Wright

Andrew "Dew" Wright graduated from Charleston Southern University with a degree in Communication Studies. He is a lifelong Chicago Cubs and Washington Commanders fan.

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