Daily Report – 3/28/25
Here is today’s report and weekend roundup:
Yankees
Yesterday at Yankee Stadium, the New York Yankees kicked off their 2025 season with a bang and a fright.
The bang: In his first at-bat as the first Yankees catcher to ever hit lead-off, Austin Wells homered.
The fright: Devin Williams nearly pulled a “Nestor Cortes in Game 1 of the World Series.”
But the Bronx Bombers the Milwaukee Brewers 4-2.
“Why doesn’t it make sense?” Boone asked rhetorically when questioned about his decision to put Wells in the leadoff spot. For a catcher, hitting leadoff is especially difficult because you must transition between helping your pitcher through his first inning and decoding another pitcher during his.
Last season, Wells overcame doubts about his defense and earned the Yankees’ starting catcher role. The “industry,” per Aaron Boone, “had real questions about [Wells] behind the plate, as did [the Yankees].” But Wells prevailed and proved the doubters wrong. And now he’s hitting leadoff bombs for the New York Yankees as one of the best backstops in baseball.
Yesterday, Wells became the first catcher in Major League Baseball since 1900 to hit a leadoff home run on Opening Day, and coupled with his defense, he could become the best two-way catcher in the American League. “It’s remarkable, really, to see where he is now as one of the game’s really good defensive catchers. It’s a testament to the work he has put in,” said Aaron Boone.
Anthony Volpe hit the Yankees’ second bomb of the afternoon, a fly ball to the short porch. Volpe (23) and Austin Wells (25) are the second youngest pair of Yankees ever to go deep on Opening Day.
Next, the Yankees acquired Devin Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers this offseason to be their closer. He is famous for his “Airbender,” a changeup that bends late upon delivery and travels several standard deviations beyond the standard changeup. The Brewers are familiar with Williams’s habits, so they were reading his changeup well. “I didn’t think my command was the best today,” said Williams after the game.
Williams isn’t a 1-2-3 closer like Josh Hader or Aroldis Chapman, but he is just as clever as any pitcher in baseball. Yesterday, with one out and the tying run at second base, he worked out of a jam by precisely locating his fastball to strike out Jackson Chourio and Christian Yelich. “It was cool. Got the first one out of the way,” Williams casually remarked.
I was also impressed by Carlos Rodón’s start in yesterday’s ballgame. During the pregame show on YES, the network aired an interview between Meredith Marakovits and Rodón, which was conducted shortly after he was selected to toe the slab on Opening Day. Rodón repeatedly mentioned that throughout his time in New York, he has often gotten swept up and distracted by big moments, which has hindered his performance. But that didn’t happen on Opening Day.
The New York fans have poorly impacted Yankees pitchers for decades, and many big signings haven’t been able to handle the pressure. After the Yankees signed him to a six-year $162 million contract, Carlos Rodón had an awful 2023 campaign. Then he went to hide in a cave – it’s true – and last year, he made 32 starts and expanded his arsenal from two to three to four pitches. Now, he has six pitches, and he showcased each of them yesterday. He shined his new sinker, plus an improved slider, four-seam fastball, changeup, curveball, and occasional cutter.
I didn’t know Rodón could muster such a dominant performance. He threw 89 pitches in 5 1/3 innings, allowing four hits, one run (HR), and two walks while striking out seven batters. He finished with the win and a 1.69 ERA. On the afternoon, Yankees pitching struck out 13 batters, tied for their second most in an Opening Day game in franchise history.
This season will provide plenty of bangs and frights. I can’t wait to see what comes next.
Tomorrow, at 1:05 PM (12:05 PM CDT), the Yankees look to beat Milwaukee in the series as LHP Max Fried makes his Yankees debut against former Yankee LHP Nestor Cortes (YES).
On Sunday, at 1:35 PM (12:35 PM CDT), the Yankees will send RHP Marcus Stroman to the mound against RHP Aaron Civale.
Rangers
Tonight, at 10:00 PM (9:30 PM CDT), the Rangers will visit Jacob Trouba and the Anaheim Ducks in the first of back-to-back games in southern California (MSG, MSG2). Tomorrow at 10:30 PM (9:30 PM CDT), the Rangers will be in San Jose (MSG).
Last night, I heard that some Rangers players dined with Jacob Trouba yesterday, and I realized there might still be an association between the team’s performance and trades the front office has made.
Between the start of the 2024-25 season on October 9 and December 8, when the Rangers traded Trouba, the team held a 14-11-1 record. They began the season at 12-4-1, but after slipping significantly, the Rangers forced a Trouba to depart. The organization tried to trade their captain during the offseason, but due to his no-trade clause, he refused to accept any moves.
After the Trouba trade, the Rangers went 1-4-0 through December 18, when Kaapo Kakko got traded. The next day, Chris Drury held a team meeting to settle grievances. They went on to beat Dallas before losing four straight games. That was part of a 14-11-3 run (which included a 7-0-3 stretch) that lasted until March 1, when the Rangers traded Ryan Lindgren and Jimmy Vesey to Colorado. The Rangers then recorded back-to-back shutouts and took a well-fought overtime loss to Washington before the NHL Trade Deadline arrived on March 7.
Since the deadline, they’ve gone 3-6-1. And they’ve played poorly. Very poorly. Almost as poorly as they played during their 4-15-0 stretch in November and December.
So that leaves me wondering: Could this low-effort 3-6-1 stretch be a response to Ryan Lindgren and Jimmy Vesey’s trades? Is there STILL a connection between the Rangers’ performance and the trades their front office makes?
It’s very possible. Probable, in fact.
Remember, in December, reports suggested the Rangers went 4-15-0 because Jacob Trouba and the core were upset when Barclay Goodrow got traded, and accomplished head athletic trainer Jim Ramsay got fired.
Tonight, the Rangers will visit Jacob Trouba and the Anaheim Ducks, who are facing elimination. Tomorrow, they will play Barclay Goodrow and the San Jose Sharks, who have been eliminated from playoff contention. Both are must-win games for the Rangers.
But their old teammates will make it very difficult for them to clinch a playoff spot.
Here is a look at the current Eastern Conference Wild Card standings, courtesy of the Rangers:
Photo credit: New York Rangers website
Knicks
On Wednesday night, the Knicks lost to the Los Angeles Clippers 126-113.
But yesterday, they clinched a playoff berth since the Atlanta Hawks lost.
The Knicks’ depth on Wednesday proved to be insufficient against Los Angeles. They look to get back in the win column tonight against the Milwaukee Bucks (MSG). They will then host Portland on Sunday as the Knicks celebrate Walt Frazier’s 80th birthday.
And Jalen Brunson is scheduled to resume basketball activities early this week. The Knicks miss him terribly.
Here is today’s weekend roundup:
Schedule
Tonight 3/28:
7:00 PM (6:00 PM CDT): 2025 NCAA March Madness Sweet 16 – Ole Miss (6) vs. Michigan State (2); CBS, Paramount+
7:30 PM (6:30 PM CDT): 2025 NCAA March Madness Sweet 16 – Kentucky (3) vs. Tennessee (2); TBS, TRUTV, MAX
8:00 PM (7:00 PM CDT): NYK at MIL; MSG
9:30 PM (8:30 PM CDT): 2025 NCAA March Madness Sweet 16 – Michigan (5) vs. Auburn (1); CBS, Paramount+
10:00 PM (9:00 PM CDT): NYR at ANA; MSG, MSG2
10:00 PM (9:00 PM CDT): 2025 NCAA March Madness Sweet 16 – Purdue (4) vs. Houston (1); TBS, TRUTV, MAX
Saturday 3/29:
1:05 PM (12:05 PM CDT): NYY vs. MIL; YES; SP: LHP Max Fried (0-0, -.-- ERA)
6:00 PM (5:00 PM CDT): 2025 NCAA March Madness Elite Eight – Texas Tech (3) vs. Florida (1); TBS, TRUTV, MAX
8:30 PM (7:30 PM CDT): 2025 NCAA March Madness Elite 8 – Alabama (2) vs. Duke (1); TBS, TRUTV, MAX
10:30 PM (9:30 PM CDT): NYR at SJ; MSG
Sunday 3/30:
1:35 PM (12:35 PM CDT): NYY vs. MIL; YES; SP: RHP Marcus Stroman (0-0, -.-- ERA)
2:00 PM (1:00 PM CDT): 2025 NCAA March Madness Elite 8 – TBA; CBS, Paramount+
6:00 PM (5:00 PM CDT): Celebrating Clyde Frazier’s 80th Birthday – NYK vs. POR; MSG
That will conclude this report. Enjoy your weekend!
