About two hours before his team opened its series against the Yankees on Friday, Red Sox manager Alex Cora was asked to describe the state of the team. Garrett Crochet, who will be on the mound Saturday night when the American League East rivals continue their three-game series in New York, is among the exceptions for the Red Sox.

Before last season, Jazz Chisholm Jr. had never played one inning in his life at third base. Growing up in the Bahamas, Chisholm almost always found himself at shortstop, the position the best players usually play in Little League.

The Yankees scored seven runs in the first two innings, including home runs from Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Anthony Volpe, and got three hits from Aaron Judge in a 9-6 win over the Boston Red Sox on Friday night in The Bronx.