BOSTON (AP) — Payton Tolle retired his first 16 batters and gave up one hit over seven scoreless inning, Willson Contreras homered over the Green Monster and out of Fenway Park, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Yankees 6-1 on Friday night.
Connor Wong added two RBIs as Boston won its second straight over the Yankees.
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Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Payton Tolle (70) is congratulated by teammates in the dugout after the seventh inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Friday, June 26, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)
Boston Red Sox's Willson Contreras (40) is congratulated by teammate Jarren Duran (16) after hitting a solo home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Friday, June 26, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)
Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees players and coaches clear the benches during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Friday, June 26, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)
Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Payton Tolle reacts after getting the third out during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Friday, June 26, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)
Dugouts and bullpens emptied after Contreras walked on an inside pitch in the fifth. He said something to pitcher Will Warren as he was trotting to first and Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt got in front of him at the bag as Contreras yelled toward the mound.
Tolle (4-5), a 23-year-old left-hander, didn't allow a hit until Spencer Jones lined a one-out, opposite-field single to left in the sixth. Mixing a sharp curveball with a fastball that averaged 94.5 mph, Tolle struck out seven and walked two. He had allowed one run over six innings against the Yankees in April.
Warren (7-3) had his worst start since early May, giving up five runs, seven hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings. He had allowed three or fewer runs in his prior seven outings,
Contreras had an RBI single in the first, Tsung-Che Cheng and Mickey Gasper hit into run-scoring forceouts in the second and Contreras sent a 1-2 curveball 418 feet over the Monster in the third for a 4-0 lead. As Contreras rounded first, he said something to first base umpire Clint Vondrak, who had called a strike on a checked swing during the at-bat.
Cheng, making his Red Sox debut after Marcelo Mayer went on the 10-day injured list, was 1 for 3 with his first major league hit.
Austin Wells had an RBI groundout in the eighth for the Yankees.
Yankees RHP Gerrit Cole (2-2, 3.62 ERA) and Red Sox LHP Jake Bennett (1-3, 3.71) start Saturday.
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Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Payton Tolle (70) is congratulated by teammates in the dugout after the seventh inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Friday, June 26, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)
Boston Red Sox's Willson Contreras (40) is congratulated by teammate Jarren Duran (16) after hitting a solo home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Friday, June 26, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)
Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees players and coaches clear the benches during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Friday, June 26, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)
Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Payton Tolle reacts after getting the third out during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Friday, June 26, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Lionel Messi, the top scorer in World Cup history, will not start when defending tournament champion and Group J winner Argentina plays Jordan on Saturday night in its last match before the knockout stage.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said Friday, two days after Messi's 39th birthday, that the team's captain will begin the match on the bench, but also indicated through an interpreter that he “will come in a little bit later.”
Scaloni didn't say when Messi might substitute in to the game, or what his lineup would be against first-time World Cup participant Jordan, which lost its first two matches.
Messi scored all five goals for Argentina in the first two group matches, and now has 18 goals overall in his six World Cups. He had his first-ever hat trick in the tournament in a 3-0 win over Algeria to tie the career scoring record at 16 goals that had been held by Miroslav Klose of Germany. He broke that mark with the goals in a 2-0 win over Austria on Monday at the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys — where the group finale will be played.
Klose played in 24 World Cup matches for Germany, which wrapped up his fourth tournament by winning the 2014 final 1-0 in extra time over Messi and Argentina. Kylian Mbappé matched Klose at 16 with two goals in France’s 3-0 win over Iraq later Monday. Mbappé, who has four goals in the tournament, didn't score in a 4-1 win over Norway on Friday in his final group match.
Considered by many to be the greatest player of all time, Messi has made 201 international appearances for Argentina, including a FIFA-record 28 World Cup matches. He has scored in six consecutive World Cup games, joining France striker Just Fontaine and Brazil great Jairzinho as only players to do that.
Messi had been dealing with a minor hamstring injury with Inter Miami of Major League Soccer that slowed him in the lead-up to the World Cup.
While there have been no indications of any issues since, Argentina has a lot of games left if it is going to get to another World Cup final. The knockout round for La Albiceleste begins next Friday in South Florida, and in this expanded 48-team tournament that would be the first of five matches in 17 days if they make it to the final on July 19.
Even with Argentina trying to go undefeated in group play for the fifth time, and first since 2014, Messi isn't the only starter expected to get a break.
Goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez could be the only regular starter in a lineup that could feature several new faces. Nicolás Paz, who made his World Cup debut subbing in for Messi late in the opener against Algeria, is now expected to start in his place.
“The hope is that the team will play the same way. That’s what we’re going to try to do,” Scaloni said. “Jordan is a good opponent, and we’re not taking anything for granted. We’ll try to tweak some aspects of the last match, but with the same intention of controlling the ball and dominating the opponent.”
Associated Press writer Débora Rey contributed to this report.
See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here
Argentina's Lionel Messi, right, dribbles the ball past Austria goalkeeper Alexander Schlager to score his side's second goal during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Argentina and Austria in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Argentina's Lionel Messi trains for the World Cup soccer tournament Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Argentina's Leandro Paredes, left, Lionel Messi, center, and Alexis Mac Allister train for the World Cup soccer tournament Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Argentina's Lionel Messi watches training for the World Cup soccer tournament Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
