Daily Report – 7/21/25
Yankees
They call Atlanta the Big A, which seems fitting for the city where Aaron Judge tied A-Rod for the sixth most home runs in Yankees history. The Yankees’ coaching staff was in Atlanta for the All-Star Game last week, and they extended their stay for a three-game weekend series. Thanks to a 4-2 win in yesterday’s rubber match, the Yankees secured the series win.
Right on time, too, with Boston beating Chicago and Toronto sweeping San Francisco. The Yankees will head north of the border today for their most important series of the season since Toronto leads them by three games in the American League East.
Judge’s 351st career home run tied Alex Rodriguez for the sixth most in franchise history, and it marked his 36th of the season. “It’s just an incredible honor, especially growing up and watching A-Rod for so many years, watching what he did in the pinstripes. He’s a legend, one of the best to ever play.” However, the most important attribute of the home run was its contribution to the Yankees’ win. The home run came in the first inning and set the tone for the rest of the game, which was especially important after the Yankees gained momentum the night before.
On Saturday, the Yankees were down 5-0, and then they were down 7-2 heading into the sixth inning. They rallied back to cut the deficit to one run, but Atlanta extended their lead off Jonathan Loáisiga in the bottom of the inning. In the seventh inning, with his team down 8-6, Cody Bellinger crushed a solo shot to right-center field, but things got scary in the bottom of the inning when Loáisiga left the bases loaded for Luke Weaver.
But Weaver wasn’t fazed. He struck out Michael Harris II and got Nick Allen to fly out, leaving the bases loaded without allowing any runs. This allowed Anthony Volpe to tie the game in the eighth inning with his second home run of the night, and Luke Weaver tossed a scoreless bottom half to keep the score at 8-8. In the top of the ninth inning, Paul Goldschmidt doubled, and Atlanta walked Aaron Judge. Giancarlo walked to load the bases for Jazz Chisholm Jr., and with one out, he lined a pitch straight at a leaping Nacho Alvarez Jr. at third. Then, Trent Grisham backed him up with a heroic grand slam that sent Yankees fans into pandemonium.
Grisham’s swing was the kind that can turn a season around, and after a rough 7-3 loss on Friday night, coupled with the competition in their division, the Yankees needed a bang after the All-Star break. It didn’t help that Max Fried and Cam Schlittler were both delayed in their returns.
And on Sunday, there was Marcus Stroman. The heroic Marcus Stroman, whom the Yankees nearly cut from their Opening Day roster, but injuries paved a path for the veteran righty to join the rotation. Since returning from injury on June 29, Stroman holds a 3.00 ERA and a 2-0 record through four starts, and yesterday, he tossed six innings of one-run ball. The only run he allowed was a solo homer to Matt Olson. “I always want to go six or seven innings,” said Stroman. “That’s always the goal. That’s how I came up.”
In the third inning, the Yankees were up 2-0, and Stroman allowed consecutive singles to Michael Harris II and Nick Allen, putting runners at first and second for the top of Atlanta’s batting order. Jurickson Profar then popped a ball low in the air to third base, and Jorbit Vivas laid out to make a diving catch. Matt Olson then grounded a pitch right back to Stroman, which he cleanly turned to second for the first out of a double play.
“That was huge,” said Stroman. “I felt like I had guys on first and second before I could blink. To have [Vivas] lay out there, the momentum shifted in our favor.” Plays like Vivas’s represent a team’s mentality. After a poor baserunning error on Friday in which Ronald Acuña Jr. made one of the best throws in the Majors all season, Vivas was determined to redeem himself.
He redeemed himself again in the sixth inning when, with the bases loaded, a cutter from Grant Holmes plunked him in the knee, scoring the Yankees’ third run of the afternoon. The Yankees’ fourth run came in the seventh inning with two outs and a runner at first, as Jazz Chisholm propelled a changeup from Dane Dunning over Michael Harris’s head in left-center field for an RBI double.
The Yankees must ride this momentum into Toronto tonight. They must find a way to cut the deficit in the AL East, and they’ll have three games to work with.
Tonight, at 7:07, the Yankees will send LHP Carlos Rodón (10-6, 3.08 ERA) to the mound against the righty Kevin Gausman (6-7, 4.19 ERA) (YES).
Schedule
7:07 PM: NYY at TOR; YES; SP: LHP Carlos Rodón (10-6, 3.08 ERA)
