Daily Report – 6/12/25

Here is today’s report:

Yankees

Last night, the Yankees scored five runs against the league’s ERA leader, Kris Bubic, en route to a 6-3 victory and a series win over the Kansas City Royals.

It didn’t take long for the Yankees’ offense to start producing. In the second inning, Cody Bellinger tripled and Jazz Chisholm Jr. walked, placing runners at the corners. Anthony Volpe grounded out to score Bellinger, and with two outs, DJ LeMahieu walked, placing runners at 1st and 2nd. Then, Austin Wells, the five-RBI hero from Tuesday’s game, doubled to center field to score Volpe, and Paul Goldschmidt singled to clear the bases. The Yankees were up 4-0.

Then, Ben Rice singled to left field, plating Goldschmidt for a 5-0 lead, and Aaron Judge worked a walk, helping the Yankees bat around. Cody Bellinger ended the frame with a groundout.

“I think our lineup’s really good and really deep,” said Bellinger, whose leadoff triple was his third of the season. “It’s a lot of unselfish at-bats. We’re all getting ready for the next guy. Try to do your job, get on base, and the next guy will take care of it.”

The Yankees now have a league-leading 17 five-run innings this season. They only had 15 a year ago. Following last night’s game, Kansas City’s Kris Bubic, who entered with a league-leading 1.43 ERA, had allowed nine runs in 70 innings against the rest of the Majors and eight runs in 9.2 innings against the Yankees.

“It’s a testament to those guys,” said Aaron Boone. “A lot of those guys [are] obviously in the middle of really good years. I think the trust and communication they have with one another within innings, within games, allows them to continue to put up good at-bats, which puts you in a position to have some big innings.”

The Yankees have done a much better job so far this season at prioritizing the minimum to get on base, instead of trying to force big hits in unnecessary spots. That’s because everyone in this lineup trusts each player behind them, which is especially impressive after the Yankees lost Juan Soto during the offseason. Indeed, this level of production is a testament to the depth of this Yankees lineup, and on Friday night, it could get even deeper, with Giancarlo Stanton scheduled to make his season debut.

“After the first inning, you go down there and you’re sitting in the tunnel and you come back up and see what we put up in a big spot like that,” said Clarke Schmidt, who earned his third win of the season by allowing two hits across six scoreless innings, fanning seven. “I think every time I go out there, I’m getting stronger and stronger as far as pitch mix, and more confident in who I am as a pitcher,” said Schmidt. He threw 33 cutters, 24 sweepers, 18 knuckle curves, 11 four-seam fastballs, and five sinkers. “I thought it might have been one of his best [pitch mixes] all year,” said Aaron Boone.

Trent Grisham helped Schmidt as well, with two incredible diving catches – both of which were initially ruled hits – and an outfield assist at second base. Schmidt said, “I owe him big time. He’s [won] two Gold Gloves for a reason. He’s so impressive, and to be able to have a guy out there in an outfield this big to cover that much ground. […] I’ve got to get him a bottle of wine for that.”

“It picks me up,” said Grisham, who went 0-for-3 with a walk. “I don’t think my at-bats were all that good tonight. I had one really bad one at the end, so making those plays and staying locked in defensively just tells me a lot about where I’m at mentally.”

The conditions in Kansas City didn’t just favor Schmidt and Grisham; they helped Aaron Judge club another opposite-field home run, this one a 413-foot line drive to right-center field for the Yankees’ sixth run of the night. Judge now has 25 home runs this season, one long-ball behind Cal Raleigh for the American League lead.

The Yankees eventually appreciated Judge’s insurance run when Mark Leiter Jr. allowed three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Still, Devin Williams secured the final two outs for his eighth save of the season. After throwing just eight pitches, he should remain available for a save situation tonight.

Tonight, at 7:40 PM, the Yankees will go for the series sweep as RHP Will Warren (4-3, 5.34 ERA) faces off against RHP Seth Lugo (3-5, 3.46 ERA) (YES). If the Yankees win tonight, it will mark their second series sweep of the Royals this season.

Schedule

7:40 PM: NYY at KC; YES; SP: RHP Will Warren (4-3, 5.34 ERA)

8:00 PM: 2025 Stanley Cup Final, Game 4 – EDM (1-2) at FLA (2-1); TNT, TRUTV, MAX