Good morning, New York. The Yankees swept the Red Sox and now head to Tampa without Aaron Judge, the Islanders opened the Peter DeBoer era with a loss in Toronto, and the Rangers and Devils hold their home openers tonight.
Fried and true
The Yankees finished off the Red Sox, 9-2, behind a Max Fried gem and four Cody Bellinger RBI, and now it’s on to Tampa Bay for the ALDS, starting Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Fried’s followup: A year after throwing 6 1/3 scoreless innings against Boston and getting a no-decision in a Yankees loss, he struck out six over six innings and picked up the win.
Belli, García go big: Luis García Jr.’s fourth-inning homer got the Yankees going, but it was Bellinger’s three-run blast in the sixth that buried Boston.
Two big questions: Is Judge back from his calf strain? And who starts Game 1, Cole or Rodón? Boone said before Game 2 it was “too early to tell” on Judge, and pitching coach Matt Blake said afterward that the Game 1 starter hasn’t been picked.
Letters, but no points
The Islanders opened the Peter DeBoer era with a 2-1 loss in Toronto. Emil Heineman scored their lone goal, a shorthander, and Bo Horvat wore the “C” for the first time since being named captain in the preseason.
Tight game: The Isles outshot the Leafs 27-26, outhit them 24-19 and had fewer giveaways (12-15), and Ilya Sorokin made 24 saves. It wasn’t enough. They lost the faceoff battle (40%), had 21 shots blocked and went 0-for-4 on the power play.
Letters at 19: Matthew Schaefer was named an alternate captain one season after going No. 1 overall and winning the Calder Trophy, making him the youngest in franchise history. He and Kyle Palmieri will wear the “A” at home, with Ryan Pulock and Brayden Schenn wearing it on the road.
Wilbon on 25 years of PTI
Michael Wilbon tells Underscore’s Jimmy Traina how Pardon the Interruption launched with no test runs, why ESPN barely promotes it and why he thinks sports journalism is vanishing.
On This Day
In 1961, Roger Maris hit his 61st home run, off Boston’s Tracy Stallard, on the final day of the regular season at Yankee Stadium. The homer broke Babe Ruth’s 34-year-old single-season record of 60 in a 1-0 Yankees win over the Red Sox.
What To Watch
Lightning at Rangers, Thursday, 7 p.m. ET, MSG/ESPN+: The Rangers play their home opener at Madison Square Garden after opening in Boston.
Flyers at Devils, Thursday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN+/Hulu: New Jersey opens its 44th season at Prudential Center, and Amadeus Lombardi makes his NHL debut.