We’re heading into the final weekend of the 2026 regular season. Los Angeles Dodgers DH Shohei Ohtani is back off the IL and ready to do damage against the San Francisco Giants in the first inning. The Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox have the arms tasked with cashing an NRFI. The Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees have the proven NRFI arms going as well.
Friday’s action begins at 1:05 p.m. ET, with one of our featured matchups. Get those bets in promptly, and let’s win some cash.
All odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook and are subject to change. DraftKings does not sponsor this content.
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Best NRFI and YRFI Bets Today
Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants YRFI (+110)
LHP Tarik Skubal makes his final tune-up for the postseason at 11-7 with a 2.85 ERA. His first-inning ERA sits at 3.96, but he allowed four earned runs to these Giants in a start last week. The Giants go with RHP Yunior Marte at 0-1 with a 4.66 ERA. It’s just his third start, but he started against these Dodgers last week and gave up a run in the first. With Ohtani back and the questionable starter for the Giants, the YRFI makes sense.
Chicago Cubs at Boston Red Sox NRFI (-170)
Cubs RHP Clay Holmes makes his final start of the regular season at 6-8 with a 3.25 ERA. He has been nails in the first with a 2.65 ERA. The Red Sox have not confirmed their starter for the opening game of Friday’s doubleheader, so the NRFI wager will depend on whom they send to the mound.
Baltimore Orioles at New York Yankees NRFI (-135)
We salute LHP Trevor Rogers before he makes his final start of the season, as we have ridden him successfully in NRFIs many times this year. He’s 10-11 with a 4.07 ERA but has allowed just three earned runs in 29 first frames for a 0.93 ERA. The Yankees have not confirmed their Game 1 starter after Saturday’s contest was moved into a Friday doubleheader. RHP Will Warren was originally expected to face Rogers, and he has a 3.10 ERA with 37 K’s in 29 first frames. If Warren gets the call, this remains a strong NRFI matchup.
What Do NRFI and YRFI Mean in Baseball?
The term NRFI indicates no runs scored in the first inning. Its opposite, YRFI, indicates yes, there will be a run in the first inning. It doesn’t matter if the run qualifies as an earned run or not. If a run crosses the plate in the first inning for either team, the wager loses for the NRFI side and wins for the YRFI side.
