The Boston Purple Sox open a vital four-game sequence in opposition to their arch-rivals, the New York Yankees, on Friday night time, in a sport that will likely be out there to look at solely on Apple TV+.
Needing to win at the very least two of the 4 at Yankee Stadium to safe the tiebreaker within the American League wild-card race, the Purple Sox draw a tricky project in Sport 1, going through the Yankees’ 25-year-old ace Cam Schlittler, a fireballing right-hander with 193 strikeouts in opposition to simply 37 walks and a league-leading 2.16 ERA in 158 innings pitched.
Earlier than the sport, the Purple Sox revealed an uncommon technique to tackle Schlittler, asserting a lineup choice hardly ever seen in MLB this yr, or in any current yr.
Nick Sogard will lead off for the Purple Sox in opposition to Schlittler. He’ll bat left-handed. So will Adley Rutschman, Mickey Gasper and Anthony Seigler. All 4 are swap hitters, and interim supervisor Chad Tracy has all of them within the beginning lineup for the Yankees sequence opener.
Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, Willson Contreras, Caleb Durbin and Jarren Duran full the 9 behind Patrick Sandoval, himself a left-handed pitcher. With Abreu and Duran as solely left-handed batters, the Purple Sox ship six lefties to face Schlittler within the Apple TV+ sport.
| BOSTON RED SOX STARTING LINEUP | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP: Patrick Sandoval (LHP) • 1-2, 4.54 ERA | ||||
| August 28, 2026 • Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY • 7:15 PM EDT • Purple Sox at Yankees | ||||
| # | Participant | Pos | AVG | SLG |
| 1 | Nick Sogard | SS | .267 | .393 |
| 2 | Ceddanne Rafaela | CF | .285 | .455 |
| 3 | Wilyer Abreu | RF | .252 | .458 |
| 4 | Willson Contreras | 1B | .281 | .526 |
| 5 | Adley Rutschman | C | .236 | .406 |
| 6 | Caleb Durbin | 3B | .256 | .398 |
| 7 | Mickey Gasper | DH | .275 | .466 |
| 8 | Jarren Duran | LF | .210 | .370 |
| 9 | Anthony Seigler | 2B | .254 | .416 |
| Lineups confirmed. Season stats proven (AVG / SLG). | ||||
4 Switchers is a Current Boston Factor
The Sox didn’t have the four-switcher mixture out there for many of the season. Rutschman arrived from Baltimore on the commerce deadline, whereas Gasper received his second call-up from Triple-A Worcester on August 16. The end result has been a late-season lineup development that was not an possibility in April, or all through many of the summer season.
The earlier Purple Sox lineup to incorporate Sogard, Rutschman, Gasper and Seigler in opposition to a right-handed starter got here Aug. 24 in opposition to one other ace, Miami’s Sandy Alcantara. The Purple Sox ended up profitable that sport 4-2, although they reached Alcantara for just one run in seven innings.
That makes Friday the second current incidence with this actual four-switch-hitter group within the beginning 9, based mostly on FanGraphs’ Purple Sox batting-lineup log.
4 switch-hitters in a single beginning lineup stays uncommon across the majors. Most golf equipment carry no a couple of or two regulars who can hit from each side, if any. The circumstance typically requires roster timing as a lot as lineup choice.
| NEW YORK YANKEES STARTING LINEUP | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP: Cam Schlittler (RHP) • 11-6, 2.16 ERA | ||||
| August 28, 2026 • Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY • 7:15 PM EDT • Purple Sox at Yankees | ||||
| # | Participant | Pos | AVG | SLG |
| 1 | Paul Goldschmidt | 1B | .247 | .447 |
| 2 | Ben Rice | DH | .253 | .531 |
| 3 | Cody Bellinger | LF | .256 | .421 |
| 4 | Heliot Ramos | RF | .240 | .386 |
| 5 | Trent Grisham | CF | .217 | .412 |
| 6 | George Lombard Jr. | SS | .264 | .389 |
| 7 | Jazz Chisholm Jr. | 2B | .227 | .404 |
| 8 | José Caballero | 3B | .234 | .370 |
| 9 | Austin Wells | C | .180 | .294 |
| Lineups confirmed. Season stats proven (AVG / SLG). | ||||
Schlittler Has Been Harder on Righties
Schlittler enters Friday having restricted left-handed hitters to a .202 common, .259 on-base share and .331 slugging share in 385 plate appearances this season. He has struck out 131 lefties whereas strolling 25, although Yankee Stadium has been a distinct story. Left-handed hitters there personal a .274/.329/.479 line in opposition to him, per Schlittler’s 2026 FanGraphs break up knowledge.
In opposition to right-handed batters, Schlittler has been even more durable general — .195/.245/.305.
Gasper and Seigler are the clearest examples of why. Gasper has hit .304/.402/.527 with 5 homers in opposition to right-handed pitching this season, in contrast with .105/.105/.105 in opposition to lefties. Seigler’s break up is equally pronounced: .283/.353/.453 in opposition to righties and .167/.244/.306 in opposition to lefties.
Rutschman additionally has a season-long edge batting left-handed, posting a .245/.333/.436 line in opposition to righties versus .220/.295/.350 in opposition to lefties. Sogard is the exception. His small-sample numbers favor him in opposition to left-handed pitching — .300/.364/.533, in contrast with .257/.383/.352 in opposition to righties — though his on-base share in opposition to righties stays sturdy.
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