Yankees-Red Sox London Series Odds: Warm Weather, Short Fences and a High Total
Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports. Pictured: Aaron Judge.
- The Yankees and Red Sox will play the first MLB games ever in England, with Game 1 of the series taking place on Saturday at London Stadium (1:10 p.m. ET, FOX).
- Temperatures will be warmer than usual for London (upper 80s) and the field dimensions are on the small side, leading to an over/under of 11 (o-120).
- This is the highest Red Sox-Yankees total since 2012 and could tie/top the highest we've tracked (11.5).
New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox
- Probable pitchers: Masahiro Tanaka vs. Rick Porcello
- 1:10 p.m. ET
- Yankees moneyline: -125
- Red Sox moneyline: +115
- Over/Under: 11 (o-120)
On Saturday, America will send two of its most storied franchises across the pond to London to play a bit of baseball. The Yankees and Red Sox will play the first MLB games ever in Europe, following the footsteps of the NFL and NBA by sending teams to play in England's capital.
Game 1 of the series will feature Masahiro Tanaka and Rick Porcello on a surprisingly warm night at London Stadium. Temperatures will begin in the upper 80s and work their way down towards 80 degrees by game's end. This is a good deal warmer than average for London, which has an average high of about 70 degrees this time of year.
A breeze will be blowing from right to left, though given the shape of the stadium and its walls/roof, I wouldn't expect winds to make much of a difference in either game.
While the temperatures may surprise you, it's probably not too that shocking that London doesn't exactly have a standard MLB field. The foul lines will be 330 feet away — not too crazy — but center field is just 385 feet. The field is also turf, meaning an Aaron Judge 115 line drive worm-burner (or whatever lives in turf) may roll to the wall rather quickly.
The warm weather and short field caused oddsmakers to open this over/under at 10.5, but that was bet up to 11 (o-120) in less than 15 minutes.
Since 2005, there have only been 11 Red Sox-Yankees games with a total of 11 or higher, with the highest being 11.5 per Bet Labs. Both games that closed at 11.5 took place in a series at Fenway in July 2005 and the last time there was a total of 11 took place in April 2012.
Sunday is not expected to be as hot, with temps topping out in the upper 70s. The over/under will likely depend on how Saturday's game goes. Juiced balls, hot temps and a mini field certainly sounds like a recipe for runs, though.
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