New York Yankees RHP Gerrit Cole takes on AL East foe Tampa Bay Rays in search of an NRFI. The Cleveland Guardians and Boston Red Sox also have pitchers scheduled that keep things quiet in the first. As for the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles, things may get rowdy early.
Wednesday’s MLB action begins at 1:10 p.m. ET, so get those bets in early.
All odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook and are subject to change. DraftKings does not sponsor this content.
More MLB Predictions:
- Best MLB Home Run Prop Bet Predictions for Wednesday, Sept. 23
Best NRFI and YRFI Bets Today
Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees NRFI (-TBD)
The Rays go with LHP Ian Seymour at 9-7 with a 4.38 ERA. Forget about hitting him in the first as he has a 2.40 ERA and 24 K’s in 15 first frames. The Yankees have RHP Gerrit Cole tabbed for the start at 9-9 with a 3.63 ERA. He has worn down a bit of late, but he has been solid in the first with a 3.00 ERA and a .176 opponents’ batting average in the opening frame.
Cleveland Guardians at Boston Red Sox NRFI (-TBD)
Trade-deadline acquisition Foster Griffin goes for the Guardians at 15-5 with a 3.67 ERA. He is downright filthy in the first with a 1.50 ERA and 37 K’s in 30 first frames. The Red Sox counter with RHP Sonny Gray at 17-5 with a 2.82 ERA. He was a little rocky in the first in the first half but has been better of late. His first-inning ERA sits at 3.54 with a .222 opponents’ batting average and 29 K’s in 28 IP.
Toronto Blue Jays at Baltimore Orioles Game 1 YRFI (-TBD)
The Jays and O’s were rained out Tuesday, and their YRFI matchup got pushed to Wednesday. Future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer toes the rubber for Toronto at 3-8 with a 6.07 ERA. Mad Max has been a hot mess in the first with a 9.56 ERA, and he has caved in the first in three straight starts. RHP Chris Bassitt goes for the O’s at 8-5 with a 4.64 ERA. He has been so-so with a 4.24 ERA in the first.
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.
