Caleb Durbin stays hot as Red Sox capitalize on Yankees' mistakes in series opening victory

After an eventful trip home from Denver that was delayed by mechanical issues with the team plane, the Red Sox finally arrived in Boston early Thursday morning and wasted little time getting back to work, opening a four-game series against the rival Yankees at Fenway Park.

The Red Sox returned home after a 3-3 West Coast road trip that ended with a disappointing series loss to the last-place Rockies. Sitting at the bottom of the American League East, Boston faced another tough challenge Thursday night in Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler, who entered the game in the midst of a breakout 2026 season.

Instead of being overpowered, the Red Sox broke through in a chaotic fifth inning, scoring four runs with plenty of help from New York’s defense. Three Yankees errors in the frame opened the door for Boston, which took advantage on its way to a 6-3 victory in the series opener.

Caleb Durbin, who exited Wednesday’s game in Colorado with a dislocated pinky finger, returned to the lineup and delivered the biggest swing of the night. His go-ahead two-run homer capped the decisive rally and continued what has been a remarkable turnaround at the plate.

Over his last 24 games, Durbin has slashed .329 with five home runs, one triple, eight doubles, 16 RBIs and a .976 OPS. Just a month ago, there was a legitimate debate over whether he should be sent to Triple-A Worcester to rediscover his swing. Now, he’s become one of the hottest hitters in Boston’s lineup and an increasingly important piece of the offense.

“Pretty proud of him for where he was at,” Chad Tracy said after the game. “With the expectations and the heat he was taking, he has just fought back and got up off the mat.”

Durbin entered Thursday riding one of the hottest stretches of his young career after going 10-for-19 on the road trip through Seattle and Denver with a home run and three doubles. But when he dove headfirst into first base during Wednesday’s series finale against the Rockies and dislocated his pinky finger, there was legitimate concern his surge would be put on hold by a trip to the injured list.

In the second inning, Durbin was credited with a single after sawing off a pitch from Schlittler that fell safely between the mound and home plate as the Yankees failed to make the play. Two innings later, with the game tied 2-2 after Boston capitalized on an error and a sacrifice fly, Durbin got a 3-2 cutter over the heart of the plate and made New York pay.

His towering drive barely cleared the Green Monster for a go-ahead two-run homer, giving the Red Sox a 4-2 lead and capping another impressive night from one of the club’s hottest hitters.

“I would say (Schlittler) has had our number or my number, but he’s had just about everyone’s number,” Durbin said. “He has been really good. That’s where you just try to simplify and get him in the zone. I was fortunate to get a good pitch I saw well.”

Durbin appears to have dodged a major setback with his pinky injury, and his bat played a pivotal role in helping the Red Sox secure a much-needed win at Fenway Park.

His recent turnaround hasn’t happened by accident, either. Behind the scenes, Durbin has been putting in extra work and seeking outside input, including sessions with private hitting instructor Lorenzo Garmendia of Gradum. The adjustments are paying off, as he has transformed himself from a struggling hitter into one of Boston’s most productive offensive threats over the past month.

“To be honest, I’m really proud of the way I went through it,” Durbin said of working on getting out of his slump to start the season. “I think defensively, that’s how it shows. I never faltered defensively. Obviously, it’s hard because this is a really hard game. I was able to keep it in perspective knowing I’d get to this point. There’s still a lot of ball left and stretches I’m probably going to struggle again. It was really tough, but I think I handled it the best I could have.”

It wasn’t just Durbin who made the difference Thursday night.

Connelly Early turned in another impressive outing, outdueling Schlittler by working through early trouble and giving the Red Sox six strong innings. The rookie left-hander allowed two earned runs on five hits while striking out nine to earn the victory.

The Yankees jumped on Early right away. Paul Goldschmidt opened the game with a double and later scored on Jasson Domínguez’s RBI single to give New York an early lead. José Caballero added a solo homer in the fourth inning, the 15th home run Early has surrendered in 16 starts this season.

Outside of those two runs, however, Early was in complete control.

Early's outing also landed Boston’s rotation in the record books. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Red Sox became the first team in franchise history to have four consecutive starters record at least nine strikeouts: Jake Bennett (nine), Sonny Gray (11), Ranger Suarez (nine) and now Early with nine of his own.

On the other side, Schlittler’s final line was far more deceptive than his stuff. The Walpole native surrendered four runs over five innings, but none were earned thanks to a shaky defensive performance behind him. He allowed five hits, walked two, hit a batter and struck out nine in the loss as the Yankees’ three errors proved too much to overcome.

“Getting a four-spot off of him is not easy, we had a lot of opportunities early and that’s what you have to do, you have to put runners on base,” Tracy said. “Obviously we left a lot of them out there but we kept putting pressure, did a nice job on the bases and finally broke through.”

The Red Sox offense took a while to break through against Schlittler despite creating several early scoring opportunities.

In the first inning, Boston put two runners in scoring position after Schlittler threw away a pickoff attempt, but Jarren Duran grounded out to second to end the threat. The missed chances continued in the second when Marcelo Mayer struck out and Masataka Yoshida bounced a soft grounder with two men aboard.

Duran snapped an 0-for-18 skid with a leadoff single and advanced to third when Anthony Seigler dropped a ground-rule double into shallow left field. With two runners in scoring position and nobody out, Schlittler elevated his fastball and overpowered both Carlos Narváez and Mayer, striking each out on pitches above the zone. Neither at-bat was particularly competitive, and Boston once again came away empty.

The Red Sox finally broke through in the fifth, though they still didn’t record a hit with runners in scoring position until Durbin’s go-ahead homer.

Yoshida drew a walk and Ceddanne Rafaela singled to set the table before the Yankees unraveled defensively. The slumping Willson Contreras scorched a 113 mph ground ball through the legs of third baseman Amed Rosario, allowing Yoshida to score and moving Rafaela to third. One pitch later, Duran lifted a shallow fly ball to left, and third base coach Chad Epperson aggressively sent Rafaela home. Caballero’s throw sailed wide, allowing the tying run to score easily.

Moments later, Durbin crushed a 3-2 cutter over the Green Monster for a two-run homer that put Boston ahead for good. All four runs in the inning were unearned.

Mayer’s offensive struggles continued to draw the attention of the Fenway crowd. After striking out earlier in the game, scattered boos rained down as he slowly tossed his batting gear near the on-deck circle. He later popped out to shortstop with the bases loaded and nobody out in the ninth, another missed opportunity in what has become a difficult stretch. As the season nears its midpoint, his OPS has dipped below .600 and his confidence appears to be wavering.

Boston’s bullpen, which stumbled badly in Colorado, looked much steadier Thursday night. Garrett Whitlock breezed through a perfect eighth inning on just 10 pitches, while Aroldis Chapman escaped a shaky ninth. The veteran closer issued a leadoff walk to Anthony Volpe and fell behind Jazz Chisholm Jr. 3-0 before inducing a fielder’s choice. Caballero later singled to bring the tying run to the plate, and Goldschmidt reached on an infield hit with two outs, but Chapman ended the game by fielding a slow roller from Ben Rice.

Pitching coach Andrew Bailey got ejected by first base umpire Tyler Jones during the ninth inning

Bailey was furious after Jones ruled that Volpe checked his swing on a slider from Chapman that dipped just below the strike zone. Instead of striking out, Volpe stayed alive, worked the count to 3-1 and eventually drew a six-pitch walk to open the ninth inning.

As Volpe reached first, Bailey continued to jaw at Jones from the dugout. Tracy also voiced his displeasure over the call.

“Just after the walk, there was quite a few of us hollering,” Tracy said. “Bailey was probably just further in front of me. And that’s why he got run. But we were hollering about that.”

The Red Sox will look to make it two straight over the Yankees on Friday night when rookie left-hander Payton Tolle (3-4, 3.08 ERA) takes the mound. Tolle dazzled in his season debut against New York on April 23, striking out 11 over six innings. The Yankees are expected to counter with right-hander Will Warren (7-2, 3.45 ERA), with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET on NESN.