It was a night of missed opportunities for the Boston Red Sox as they fell 1-0 to the New York Yankees in game one of a crucial four-game set at Yankee Stadium on Friday night. The Boston offense had a number of chances to take the lead or tie against both New York starter Cam Schlittler and the Yankees' bullpen, but was unable to capitalize. 

The Red Sox' first opportunity of the night came with the game tied at zero in the top of the second inning when, with one out, Schlittler issued back-to-back walks to third baseman Caleb Durbin and designated hitter Mickey Gasper, setting the stage for Jarrren Duran to give Boston an early lead. However, the favorite to take home the American League Cy Young Award buckled down, striking Duran out on five pitches before getting second baseman Anthony Seigler to weakly ground out to first baseman Paul Goldschmidt to end the threat. 

The Boston offense again got itself into prime scoring position in the top of the third inning as right fielder Wilyer Abreu ripped a two-out double to left field, putting All-Star first baseman Willson Contreras in a position to give the Red Sox a 1-0 lead. However, Schlittler again buckled down, getting Contreras to swing and miss at a 99.5 mph fastball at the top of the zone, ending the inning. 

After New York took the lead on a solo shot off the bat of Goldschmidt in the bottom of the third, the Red Sox had a golden opportunity to tie the game in the top of the fifth as Schlittler issued a leadoff walk to Seigler. The 25-year-old punched out Boston leadoff man Nick Sogard for the first out of the inning before allowing a single to center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela, putting men on first and second with only one out and Abreu at the plate. However, the Boston threat was short-lived as Rafaela was caught too far off first base when Abreu lined out to center field, getting doubled off to again let Schlittler off the hook. 

With New York still leading 1-0 in the top of the sixth inning, Schlittler quickly retired the first two batters of the inning before the Red Sox offense again put themselves in a position to tie or take the lead. Schlittler issued his fifth free pass of the night to Durbin, leading New York manager Aaron Boone to turn to left-handed reliever Brent Headrick to get the final out of the inning. With the left-hander on the mound, Boston interim manager Chad Tracy turned to Jahmai Jones off the bench in place of Gasper, a decision that was rewarded as Jones worked a five-pitch walk. With men on first and second with two out, Tracy again turned to his bench, tapping Eli White to hit in place of Duran. The speedy outfielder weakly hit a ground ball into no-man's land between first base and the pitcher's mound, beating it out for an infield single to load the bases. In a move that effectively emptied the bench, Tracy again played the matchup, turning to Andruw Monasterio to hit for Seigler. After an eight-pitch battle, Monasterio ripped a 3-2 four-seam fastball that appeared headed for the right-center gap; however, Yankees right fielder Spencer Jones was able to track down the fly ball and end the threat.

The Red Sox' best and final opportunity of the night came in the visitors' half of the seventh inning, with the Yankees still leading 1-0. After Headrick struck out Sogard to lead off the inning, Boone again went to his bullpen, bringing in right-hander Paul Blackburn to take on the heart of the Boston lineup. Rafaela greeted the veteran right-hander with a single, followed by a ground rule double off the bat of Abreu, giving the Red Sox men on second and third with only one out and Contreras at the plate. The All-Star first baseman lined the second pitch he saw, an 0-1 sweeper just outside the zone, sharply to left fielder Cody Bellinger, who delivered a perfect throw to cut down the tagging Rafaela at the plate and end the inning, preserving the Yankees' lead. As noted by Tim Healey of the Boston Globe, Rafaela told reporters after the loss that the aggressive decision to tag up was his own, a decision he called "bad."

The Red Sox offense went quietly into the New York night in their final two innings as the back end of the Yankees' bullpen retired the final six Boston batters in order to secure the win. Overall, it was a frustrating night for the Red Sox lineup, which went just 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position, leaving 10 men on base en route to the loss.

The Red Sox lineup will look to turn the page after Friday's loss in Saturday's doubleheader at Yankee Stadium. Rookie lefty Jake Bennett (8-6, 3.49 ERA) will get the start for Boston in game one opposite Carlos Rodon (4-2, 3.15 ERA) for New York. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m. ET.