Sox go for series win over rival Yankees in Saturday matinee (1 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN app)
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Against the odds, the Red Sox are going for a series victory over the Yankees on Saturday at Fenway Park, airing at 1:10 p.m. ET on ABC or via the ESPN app.
After going 1-4 against the Yankees coming into this four-game set in Boston, the last-place Red Sox have been giving their rivals in first a real run for their money this weekend, capitalizing on a four-error meltdown on Thursday for a 6-3 victory before knocking Will Warren around for five runs on seven hits in support of a brilliant Payton Tolle (7 IP, H, 2 BB, 7 K) on Friday.
Now Boston, looking to make it three in a row, will send a third consecutive rookie (Connelly Early got the start on Thursday) out to face New York on Saturday in Jake Bennett. Bennett, making just the sixth start of his Major League career, is the Red Sox's No. 6 prospect as ranked by MLB Pipeline and is working on a 3.71 ERA with a 1.13 WHIP and 22 strikeouts in 26 2/3 innings.
Notably, Bennett's last outing, which came against the Rockies on June 22, was his finest to date; he threw six scoreless innings with nine strikeouts at Coors Field, although the game did ultimately result in a loss.
Up against the young left-hander Bennett will be veteran right-hander Gerrit Cole, looking to bounce back from a rough outing against the Tigers on Monday in which he went just 4 1/3 and allowed five runs on nine hits. So far the 2026 results have been hit-or-miss for the 35-year-old, who underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2026; in seven starts, he's pitched to a 3.62 ERA and is currently averaging fewer than a strikeout per inning (29 in 32 1/3 IP) for the first time since 2017.