BOSTON — The Yankees did not allow an earned run Thursday night. They still left Fenway Park with one of their strangest losses in more than a century.
A season-high four errors buried New York in a 6-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox in the opener of a four-game series. Every Boston run was unearned. The collapse turned Cam Schlittler’s latest strong start into a loss and gave the Red Sox a rivalry win built almost entirely on extra outs.
The Yankees had not played a game in which they allowed at least six unearned runs and no earned runs since July 21, 1913, against the Tigers in Detroit. According to Katie Sharp, six unearned runs without an earned run tied the second-highest total in franchise history. The record remains eight, set May 3, 1913.
For a club trying to protect its place in the AL East and keep its postseason race steady, the loss exposed a roster puzzle around defense, injuries and matchup decisions while a rookie starter continued pitching like one of the staff’s safest answers.
Fifth inning flips the game
The Yankees led 2-0 before the fifth. Paul Goldschmidt doubled to open the game and scored on a Jasson Domínguez single. Jose Caballero added a solo homer in the fourth against Boston left-hander Connelly Early.
Schlittler had traffic in front of him, but kept escaping it. He struck out nine across five innings and left with his ERA lower than when the night began. His ERA dropped from 1.71 to 1.62 because none of the four runs charged to him were earned.
The game changed when Masataka Yoshida walked and Ceddanne Rafaela singled to begin the fifth. Schlittler struck out Wilyer Abreu, then got the ground ball New York needed. Willson Contreras hit a 112.8 mph shot toward third, where Amed Rosario had a chance to limit the inning.
The ball went through Rosario. Yoshida scored. The Red Sox had runners at second and third. One miss became the game’s hinge point.
Jarren Duran followed with a sacrifice fly that tied the game. Caballero’s throw from shallow left field came in off line. Caleb Durbin then lifted a two-run homer over the Green Monster, turning a Yankees lead into a 4-2 Red Sox edge.
Boone sees a game New York could not clean up
Aaron Boone did not frame Rosario’s mistake as an impossible play. The Yankees manager said the ball was hit hard, but he also made clear that New York had to turn some chances into outs.
Rosario took responsibility after the game.
“Definitely a play there that I just gotta make,” Rosario said. “I take responsibility there. When you look at the play, at least you gotta find a way to knock it down and at least get one out.”
That play was only part of the problem. Schlittler made a throwing error on a pickoff attempt in the first inning. Austin Wells was charged with catcher interference in the same inning. A popup later dropped between Wells and Schlittler in the second. It was ruled a hit, but it added to the sloppy feel.
Schlittler accepted fault for the miscommunication.
“Gotta take responsibility for that,” Schlittler said. “The ball’s just kind of sitting there. Miscommunication.”
By the eighth, the Yankees were still close enough to win. They trailed 4-3 after Goldschmidt’s run-scoring groundout in the seventh. Then Yerry De los Santos fumbled a bunt, Ryan Yarbrough hit Nate Eaton with the bases loaded and Anthony Volpe made a wide throw on a potential double-play ball.
Boone summed up the night with the same directness he used after the pivotal fifth.
“We just didn’t do a good job of taking care of the ball tonight,” Boone said before adding, “ultimately, it was too much to overcome.”
Schlittler’s line hides the damage
The final score did not show how odd the box score looked. Schlittler took the loss despite allowing no earned runs. He gave up five hits, walked two and struck out nine over 92 pitches.
According to Elias Sports Bureau data cited by MLB.com, Schlittler’s 1.62 ERA is the second-lowest by a Yankees pitcher through his first 17 starts of a season since earned runs became official in 1913. Ray Caldwell posted a 1.60 mark in 1914.
That made the loss harder to process inside a Yankees clubhouse leaning heavily on its pitching staff while the lineup and defensive alignments adjust around injuries. Schlittler did enough to keep Boston from earning a run. New York still lost by three.
The Red Sox finally forced him to pay in the fifth. Caleb Durbin, a former Yankees prospect, supplied the biggest swing. Early matched Schlittler’s strikeout total with nine and allowed two runs over six innings.
The Yankees had chances. Domínguez continued to produce from the right side. Caballero homered and later scored. Goldschmidt drove in a run in the seventh. New York loaded the bases in the ninth against Aroldis Chapman before Ben Rice grounded back to the mound for the final out.
Position puzzle grows louder
The game also showed why the Yankees’ current roster construction is under scrutiny. Caballero has handled more time in left field with Trent Grisham hurt, Domínguez learning right field and the club still choosing matchups carefully with Spencer Jones.
Caballero explained the situation after the loss.
“I’m just trying to help the team as much as I can, and we have a lot of needs in the outfield right now,” Caballero said. “I’m just trying to be there for my team.”
The Yankees’ previous four-error game came Aug. 21, 2025, also against the Red Sox. Their four errors Thursday marked their most in a game at Fenway Park since July 7, 2012, in the second game of a doubleheader.
New York entered the series with a chance to set the tone in Boston. Instead, the Yankees handed the Red Sox extra outs, extra bases and six unearned runs in a loss that revived a 113-year-old line of franchise history.
Caballero did not deny the frustration. He pointed to the short MLB turnaround that follows most losses.
“It’s always tough when we lose,” Caballero said. “The good thing is there’s always tomorrow.”
The Yankees remained in Boston with three games left in the series and a defense that had to answer for a loss unlike almost any the franchise had played since 1913. RHP Will Warren (7-2, 3.45) is scheduled to start Game 2.
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