The Boston Red Sox lineup for game one against the New York Yankees is missing some notable names. Masataka Yoshida, Wilyer Abreu and Nathaniel Lowe all start on the bench, with the Yankees starting lefty Max Fried.

Fried has been excellent this season against both sides of the plate. Lefties have actually posted a higher OPS than righties against the Yankees’ ace — .674 for lefties versus .598 for righties.

On the other hand, Fried has struck out 30.4% of lefties compared to just 21.6% of righties. With runs at a premium in playoff games, contact is more important than ever.

On the season, the Red Sox have been heavily platoon-oriented. Romy Gonzalez turned into an everyday player late in the season, but Rob Refsnyder has started almost exclusively against lefties. Red Sox manager Ale

See Full Page