Ben Rice vs Garrett Crochet; Will Yankees first baseman play Game 1 against Red Sox pitcher?

During the MLB regular season, the Yankees and Red Sox clashed 13 times: nine wins for Boston and four for New York. The Game 1 of the Wild Card Round in the American League will be a total barbarity, as while one has a positive record, the other has powerful figures to fly the fence. One of them would be Ben Rice, who would face Garrett Crochet on the diamond

Throughout history, the two teams have met five times in the postseason and the last time, in the 2021 Wild Card Series, the Red Sox were victorious. The winner of this series between New York and Boston will play the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Division Series.

Ben Rice has mediocre numbers against lefties, and Garret Crochet is one

Ben Rice finished the season on a tear, but he has mediocre numbers against lefties. Will the Yankees start him against left-hander Garrett Crochet? In Tuesday’s Game 1, the Red Sox will give the ball to their ace, Garrett Crochet. The Cy Young candidate will have to face a deep Yankees lineup full of home run threats

One of those threats is Ben Rice, who hit 26 long balls in the regular season. However, that doesn’t make the left-handed hitter a lock to start Game 1. Crochet is a lefty, who has crushed left-handed hitters all season, holding them to a batting average of .166 and three home runs in 145 at-bats

Lucas Giolito misses Wild Card Round against Yankees

Right-hander Lucas Giolito will not be on the Red Sox roster for their matchup against the Yankees in the American League Wild Card Series while dealing with an elbow problem, manager Alex Cora said. Giolito was the scheduled starter for a possible Game 3, following Garrett Crochet and Brayan Bello in Games 1 and 2, respectively.

Giolito, who missed the entire 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March of that year, will see a specialist for the elbow problem, Cora added. The 31-year-old right-hander went 10-4 with a 3.41 ERA in 26 starts in his first season with Boston. He struck out 121 in 145 innings and posted a 1.29 WHIP.