GAME:
New York Yankees (83-78) at Boston Red Sox (71-90)
DATE/TIME:
Sunday, September 28 - 1:35 PM EST
WHERE:
Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts
LINE:
N/A
TOTAL:
N/A
Derek Jeter will spend his final day in a New York Yankees uniform Sunday playing against the host Boston Red Sox in the season finale. Jeter took two at-bats as the designated hitter on Saturday and is expected to do the same on Sunday, though manager Joe Girardi is leaving it up to his future Hall of Famer. Both teams have nothing on the line, marking the first time in the wild card era that both Boston and New York will miss the playoffs.
If Jeter takes the field on Sunday, it will mark just the fourth game he has played in his career in which the Yankees have been mathematically eliminated. Both teams have trotted out lineups that look nothing like the opening day sets in the first two games of the series, and the Red Sox’s group of rookies was impressive in a 10-4 triumph on Saturday. Cuban import Rusney Castillo is 7-for10 with a pair of home runs and five RBIs in the last three games to lead the pack.
TV: 1:35 p.m. ET, TBS, YES (New York), NESN (Boston)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees RH Michael Pineda (4-5, 1.93 ERA) vs. Red Sox RH Clay Buchholz (8-10, 5.31)
Pineda snapped a four-start winless streak with a dominant outing against Baltimore on Monday, when he yielded one hit and one walk while striking out eight in 7 1/3 scoreless innings. The Dominican Republic native last faced the Red Sox on Apr. 23 when he was thrown out of the game for having pine tar on his neck before spending nearly four months on the disabled list with shoulder trouble. Pineda allowed two runs on four hits in 1 2/3 innings before being tossed from that game.
Buchholz took a shutout into the eighth inning against Tampa Bay on Tuesday before some control issues and questionable defense led to a five-run frame and a loss. The 30-year-old has lost two in a row after a string of three straight wins. Buchholz last faced New York on Aug. 3 and was ripped for seven runs on eight hits and five walks in five innings.
WALK-OFFS
1. Red Sox rookie C Christian Vazquez has five RBIs and four runs scored in his last three starts.
2. New York has shut down RHP Dellin Betances due to workload concerns.
3. Boston is expected to honor Jeter in a low-key ceremony prior to the game.
PREDICTION: Red Sox 6, Yankees 4