YRFI Bets Today: Best First Inning Picks and Predictions for Friday, May 22
We have a full schedule Friday with one early game beginning at 2:20 p.m. EDT at Wrigley Field. It's a holiday weekend, and teams will be looking to ignite fireworks early on.
The Kansas City Royals host the Seattle Mariners, and Royals SS Bobby Witt Jr. is on fire in May. He's hitting .316 with five homers and eight RBIs this month. He has a matchup to feast upon early as we look to cash some YRFI bets. We also have a couple of run-friendly setups to boot.
All odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook and are subject to change. DraftKings does not sponsor this content.
Best YRFI Bets Today
Seattle Mariners at Kansas City Royals YRFI (-150)
Mariners RHP Logan Gilbert has been one of the up-and-coming starting pitchers the last few years. He hasn't been good this year, though, and it starts in the first. Opponents are hitting .366 against him in the first frame, and he has a 7.20 ERA during that frame. He'll face superstar SS Bobby Witt Jr. in the first, and he's 7-for-14 (.500) with a homer off of him lifetime. The M's are top five in YRFI% on the season.
St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds YRFI (-150)
The Reds are throwing newly signed RHP Chris Paddack Friday. He has allowed nine earned runs in the first this season. Granted, six of those came in one start, but he's joining a new team in a hitters' park. Paddack has started once as an opponent in Great American Ball Park, and he allowed four runs in five innings. Both teams are midrange in terms of hitting YRFIs this season. Both teams cashed a YRFI in their previous game.
Colorado Rockies at Arizona Diamondbacks YRFI (-120)
Both teams are top 10 in YRFI percentage this season. Now it would be better if it were in Coors Field, but Chase Field still has a midrange Ballpark Factor. That figures to increase as the weather heats up. The D-Backs are throwing RHP Michael Soroka Friday, who has performed well with a 3.49 ERA on the season. He has issues in the first inning, though, with an 8.00 ERA in the first through nine starts.
What Does YRFI Mean in Baseball?
The term YRFI indicates a run is scored in the first inning. Its opposite, NRFI, indicates no runs will be scored 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 wins for the YRFI side and loses for the NRFI side.
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This story was originally published May 22, 2026 at 7:30 AM.