The New York Yankees edged the Boston Red Sox 4-3 at Fenway Park on Tuesday evening in a tightly contested season series opener, with Aaron Judge delivering the decisive blow via a two-run home run in the sixth inning that proved the difference between the two AL East rivals.

Judge, who entered the game batting .298 with seven home runs on the young season, turned on a 2-1 fastball from Boston starter Brayan Bello and drove it into the Red Sox bullpen in left-center, giving New York a lead they would not relinquish. The blast was his eighth of 2026 and extended his career home run total at Fenway Park to 19, cementing his status as one of the most dangerous hitters in the sport against Boston.

Bello labored through five and two-thirds innings, allowing four runs on eight hits while striking out six. He was undone largely by Judge and a solo home run from Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the third inning that gave New York an early 2-0 advantage. Boston responded with runs in the fourth and fifth — including an RBI double from Rafael Devers — before Judge's decisive shot silenced the Fenway faithful.

Yankees starter Carlos Rodón was effective through five innings, limiting Boston to two earned runs before the bullpen took over. Clay Holmes closed out the ninth for his ninth save of the season, navigating a leadoff single from Jarren Duran before retiring the next three batters. The victory pushed New York to within half a game of the AL East lead heading into the midweek series.

Boston's defeat was compounded by the Dodgers placing first baseman Freddie Freeman on the paternity list — a reminder of roster fluidity across the league at this early juncture. For the Red Sox, the loss drops them to 13-11 on the season and renews questions about their rotation depth as the schedule intensifies through late April. The two clubs will meet again Wednesday in what promises to be another closely fought contest at Fenway.