Daily Report – 7/25/25
Yankees
Mark your calendars: July 23, 2025. The day the New York Yankees stopped being good enough to win a championship. With an 8-4 loss to the Blue Jays on Wednesday, the Yankees not only left Toronto with more hurdles to climb for the lead in the American League East but also made four errors in the process. Embarrassing. Unacceptable.
The first Yankees’ error was on a throw to home plate by pitcher Max Fried in the fifth inning that JC Escarra couldn’t field, allowing two runs to score. “Tough angle and just not a good throw,” said Fried. “It’s a tight ballgame there, and to kind of let it go, that’s frustrating.”
The second error was a poor throw by second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the fifth inning. The third error was a sixth-inning fielding error by Ben Rice while attempting a backhanded play, allowing Myles Straw to score. Jasson Domínguez committed the fourth error in the seventh inning, which allowed Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to advance to second base.
One notable mention, although it was not scored as an error, came in the sixth inning as Ernie Clement flied out to right field, and Cody Bellinger lost the ball in the Rogers Centre lights. The fly ball became a triple, and Ernie Clement eventually scored for Toronto’s final go-ahead run. “I lost it in the sky once it got above the lights,” said Bellinger. “And [I] was trying to guess where it was going to be. Today was a little shaky. Really, for me, it felt like the ball that I missed started it all.”
Since the Yankees had already tied the game before Bellinger’s poor play, perhaps it did affect the rest of the team. However, the Yankees must exhibit more tenacity when struggles arise. They don’t just bend in the face of adversity; they break. And breaking does not win championships. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays laugh in the face of adversity. They put balls in play to score runs and trust their pitchers to prevent them. If things could only be that simple for the Yankees.
I’ve written dozens of times that this Yankees team was designed to fix the defensive issues they faced last season. However, when balls bounce in and out of gloves, or throws are made too high, or catchers permit stolen bases, it becomes difficult to view this team as strong defensively. Yet, Aaron Boone, who, along with Matt Blake, got ejected in the seventh inning of Wednesday’s game, responded to the embarrassing loss by saying, “We have good defenders here,” and, “We should be, moving forward, a good defensive club.”
But on what metrics is this team strong defensively? The Yankees committed 11 errors in seven games in Toronto this season. Anthony Volpe is tied for the league lead in errors at any position in baseball. Jazz Chisholm is just as inconsistent at second base as he was at third. Max Fried, the Yankees’ ace, cannot throw runners out at first. And everything reached a tipping point against the team the Yankees need to beat more than any other team in baseball. They now sit 4.5 games behind Toronto for the AL East lead.
“Obviously, we’ve had two crappy series up here,” said Aaron Boone. “There’s no way around it.”
If your ace pitcher cannot perform like an ace, then your team is in danger. Last night, coming off a blister injury, Max Fried struggled through 5 1/3 innings, giving up five runs (four earned) on six hits and three walks. He wasn’t throwing many breaking pitches in the first few innings, and in the sixth inning, YES Network cameras spotted a cut on his left pinky. While Fried and Aaron Boone insisted the southpaw’s blister did not impede his ability to pitch, his throwing error in the fifth inning was unacceptable. It was reminiscent of the fifth inning of Game 5 of the World Series, in which the Yankees committed so many errors they surrendered a 5-0 lead. The inning that prompted Brian Cashman to prioritize defense this past offseason.
The Yankees hit three home runs on Wednesday, the most notable coming in the sixth inning off the bat of Aaron Judge. It tied the game 4-4 before the Yankees blew their chances at a victory. This game proved that it doesn’t matter how talented a team’s offense is if they cannot defend. “We haven’t been playing that well on defense,” Judge said. “That’s one of the things we’ve got to clean up.” With the scheduled day off today, Judge added, “Going into this off-day, we’ve got to refocus and tighten it up on defense. If we give any good team extra outs, it’s not going to go well for us.”
Aaron Boone echoed Judge’s notion, saying, “Giving them extra outs, whether it’s through making an error or not making a play that we need to make, that’s cost us in these two series up here. We’ve got to, obviously, tighten it up. We’ll continue to work at it.”
Toronto’s final blow came in the seventh inning after Jasson Domínguez missed catching a fly ball in left field, allowing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to advance to second base. With Scott Effross pitching, Bo Bichette launched a low sweeper over his team’s bullpen in left field for a two-run home run, giving Toronto an 8-4 lead.
Tonight, the Yankees must turn the page against the Philadelphia Phillies as they kick off a seven-game homestand at Yankee Stadium. RHP Will Warren (6-5, 4.91 ERA) takes the mound tonight at 7:05 against RHP Taijuan Walker (3-5, 3.75 ERA) (AppleTV+).
Tomorrow, at 1:05 PM, RHP Marcus Stroman (2-1, 5.64 ERA) will start against LHP Ranger Suárez (7-4, 2.66 ERA) (YES).
On Sunday, at 1:35 PM, LHP Carlos Rodón (10-7, 3.10 ERA) will start against the star righty Zack Wheeler (9-3, 2.39 ERA) (YES).
Schedule
Tonight 7/25:
7:05 PM: Friday Night Baseball – NYY vs. PHI; AppleTV+; SP: RHP Will Warren (6-5, 4.91 ERA)
Saturday 7/26:
1:05 PM: NYY vs. PHI; YES; SP: RHP Marcus Stroman (2-1, 5.64 ERA)
Sunday 7/27:
1:30 PM: 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony; MLBN
1:35 PM: NYY vs. PHI; YES; SP: LHP Carlos Rodón (10-7, 3.10 ERA)
