Jake Bennett starts as Red Sox face Yankees at Fenway
Rookie left-hander Jake Bennett starts Game 81 for the Boston Red Sox on Saturday at Fenway Park against Gerrit Cole and the New York Yankees, with Boston leading the four-game series 2-0 and a chance to clinch with a game to spare. Bennett (1-3, 3.71 ERA) faces New York for the first time.
The Red Sox turn to their 25-year-old southpaw after winning the first two games of this AL East rivalry weekend. Bennett has taken Brayan Bello's rotation spot and now gets a marquee test opposite a Yankees club trying to avoid a third straight loss. First pitch is 1:10 p.m. ET on ABC.
Key Takeaways
- Jake Bennett (1-3, 3.71 ERA) starts for Boston as the Red Sox chase a series clinch against the first-place Yankees (48-33).
- Confirmed Red Sox lineup: Yoshida DH, Rafaela CF, Abreu RF, Contreras 1B, Duran LF, Durbin 3B, Seigler 2B, Narváez C, Cheng SS.
- Gerrit Cole returns to Fenway for the first time since September 2022, coming off five runs and nine hits allowed in 4 1/3 innings at Detroit.
- Bennett has not faced any Yankees batters; Boston's staff has posted nine straight quality starts.
- New York's lineup features Goldschmidt, Rice, Rosario, Bellinger, Domínguez, Caballero, Schuemann, Volpe and Wells.
Who is starting for the Red Sox and Yankees?
Boston sends Jake Bennett to the mound in the third game of a four-game set at Fenway. Yahoo Sports notes he is the third talented young left-hander New York will face in this series, and he has posted a solid 3.71 ERA across his first five turns since replacing Brayan Bello.
New York counters with Gerrit Cole (2-2, 3.62 ERA) in his seventh start of 2026. The 35-year-old right-hander is bouncing back from his shakiest outing since returning from reconstructive elbow surgery, when Detroit tagged him for season highs in runs and hits on Monday.
What do the confirmed lineups look like?
The Yankees lineup, as confirmed ahead of Saturday's game: Paul Goldschmidt at first, Ben Rice at DH, Amed Rosario at third, Cody Bellinger in left, Jasson Domínguez in right, José Caballero at second, Max Schuemann in center, Anthony Volpe at shortstop and Austin Wells behind the plate. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is on the bench.
Boston's order stacks Yoshida, Rafaela, Abreu, Contreras, Duran, Durbin, Seigler, Narváez and Cheng. No current Yankee has a plate appearance against Bennett, while several Red Sox hitters have limited history against Cole, including Jarren Duran (3-for-17) and Masataka Yoshida (3-for-10).
Why does Jake Bennett's start matter?
With the Red Sox at 34-46 but riding momentum after Thursday and Friday wins, Bennett carries real stakes at Fenway. His finest outing came Monday at Coors Field: six scoreless innings with nine strikeouts, though Colorado walked off in the ninth on a Jake McCarthy triple.
Bennett's contribution extended a remarkable run for the Red Sox pitching staff, which has produced nine straight quality starts of six innings and three runs or fewer. Interim manager Chad Tracy praised the staff for consistently pitching deep into games during this hot stretch.
Can Gerrit Cole bounce back at Fenway?
Cole has not pitched at Fenway since a six-inning no-decision on Sept. 13, 2022. He is 2-3 with a 5.52 ERA in eight career starts at Boston and 7-6 with a 5.23 ERA against the Red Sox overall. After Monday's rough outing, Cole said in Detroit that baseball is the get-it-done league, not the try-hard league.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Cole's stuff looks good and he has pitched largely in line with his career standards. New York enters Saturday on pace for 96 wins at the season's halfway point but is hitting just .211 over its last nine games, including 3-for-30 in Friday's 6-1 loss. For more rivalry coverage, see our Celebrity Breaking News section. Full lineups and notes are available from The Boston Globe.