Daily Report – 4/14/26
Yankees
This is 1010 Wins! You give the Yankees three hours and 36 minutes, and they’ll give you the world.
From 10-10 to 11-10, the Yankees somehow pulled one off in the bottom of the ninth inning yesterday. They led, tied, and trailed Anaheim by the following scores:
4-0 Lead
4-4 Tie
7-4 Lead
7-7 Tie
8-7 Lead
8-10 Trail
10-10 Tie
11-10 Win
This game was advertised as a battle of two three-time MVPs, Mike Trout and Aaron Judge, who entered and exited the game with equal .293 career batting averages. Trout, in his 16th Big League season, has hit 408 career home runs, the second most among active players. In 11 seasons, Judge has hit 374, and with two last night, he passed Mickey Mantle for the second most multi-homer games in Yankees history.
Both sluggers, who have tremendous respect for each other, cleared the fence twice last night, one-upping each other every chance they got. Trout, from New Jersey, always has family and friends in attendance when he visits the Bronx (even though he grew up a Phillies fan).
“He’s the greatest, the greatest of all time,” Judge said of Trout. “I know he’s had some tough injuries over the years, but to see himself back in a better spot this year – every time he comes to the Bronx, man, he puts on a show. I hate to see it, but it’s fun competing against a guy like that.”
Ultimately, it was the Yankees who emerged victorious in this offensive battle, snapping a five-game losing streak. The Bombers hit five home runs, and Judge combined with Trent Grisham for four. It was a big night for Grisham, who finally got his first dinger out of the way.
Grisham hit a career-high 34 long balls last season, which prompted the Yankees to extend him a qualifying offer. Although Grisham hasn’t gotten great results in many of his plate appearances this season, most of which have come in the leadoff spot, he hasn’t stopped battling at the dish. Despite having just eight hits, he has walked 13 times in 61 plate appearances.
Last season, Grisham didn’t just hit a lot of home runs; he nailed a lot of clutch shots. And clutch is the perfect word to describe both of Grisham’s taters yesterday. His first came pinch-hitting for Randal Grichuk in the fifth inning, and it earned the Yankees three more runs. His second long ball tied the game in the bottom of the final frame.
“He’s just never wavered,” Judge said of Grisham. “It doesn’t matter if he comes up with a big hit or starts the rally. I know he’s not quite starting the season the way he wanted to, but this guy’s showing up every single day ready to go. And to come up with two big hits like that for us when we needed it, it just speaks volumes to the type of guy he is.”
A back-and-forth game like this was exactly what the struggling Yankees’ offense needed. However, it is worth noting how much the bullpen struggled, especially Camilo Doval and Jake Bird, who average a 7.54 combined ERA this season. Doval was supposed to be the Yankees’ setup man, but he didn’t get the job done yesterday, permitting Trout’s second homer of the game, a two-run shot to put Anaheim ahead 10-8.
Jake Bird, who was optioned to Triple-A after yesterday’s game, surrendered three runs on four hits, including Trout’s first home run, which tied the game 7-7 in the fifth inning. Bird couldn’t find a pitch to break away from lefties, and he threw several pitches over the middle of the plate, including a sweeper to Trout that never swept.
The Yankees had to use five relievers because Will Warren couldn’t get out of the fourth inning. After the Yankees scored two runs in the first inning, thanks to a 456-foot 116.2 mph blast by Judge, they extended their lead in the second inning as José Caballero fouled a ball off his foot before notching his first blast of the season.
Trailing 4-0 in the top of the fourth, the Angels were ready to do damage. After Trout reached on a fielding error by Caballero, Jorge Soler brought him home with a double. With two outs, Jo Adell singled sharply to left field, and Josh Lowe walked. Warren’s time ended once Logan O’Hoppe singled to left to put Anaheim within one.
Fernando Cruz, Aaron Boone’s favorite right-handed firefighter, relieved Warren in the fifth, but he uncharacteristically struggled to throw strikes. He walked Adam Frazier to load the bases for Zach Neto, who moved the carousel with a game-tying walk. Cruz was lucky Trout flied out on a low fastball, because he had nothing to offer Anaheim’s lineup.
The Yankees got things going again in the fifth inning, as Giancarlo Stanton doubled 412 feet to dead center field, and Ben Rice came off the bench and walked. After Jazz Chisholm Jr. grounded out to advance both runners, Boone pulled the trigger to deploy Grisham, and he demolished his first blast of the season, putting the Yankees ahead 7-4.
The lead didn’t last long, though, because Trout hit his game-tying three-run shot in the top of the sixth. Judge responded with a solo round-tripper in the bottom of the inning, but Anaheim tied the game in the seventh and extended their lead in the eighth, when Trout homered again.
Paul Blackburn, recognizing how his fellow relievers had struggled, was the Yankees’ only efficient pitcher. In the top of the ninth, he retired the side with just six pitches, keeping New York’s two-run deficit intact.
Looking back, the Yankees have had significant success against Jordan Romano, the former Blue Jays and Phillies closer who now pitches for the Angels. Yesterday’s comeback started with a single by Chisholm, and then Grisham drove a low slider deep to right field, tying the game.
Caballero followed with a double, and after he stole third base, Austin Wells walked. With the winning run 90 feet away, Ryan McMahon worked a nine-pitch at-bat that ended with a wild pitch, allowing Caballero to score. The Yankees used speed and grit to finish Anaheim off.
“In a lot of ways, it’s good to win a game like that,” Boone said. “As tough as tonight was for the belly sitting over there after you get a lead, get another lead, and then it’s gone, maybe it was good to have a game like that where it was a little messy, and then the offense was able to really pick up what’s been excellent pitching so far.”
Tonight, at 7:05 PM (6:05 PM CDT), the Yankees will try to get another strong start from LHP Ryan Weathers (0-1, 2.81 ERA), who is coming off an eight-inning outing against the Athletics last week (YES, Gotham Sports). The Yankees’ lineup will face the lefty Reid Detmers (0-1, 4.60 ERA).
Here is tonight’s starting lineup for the New York Yankees:
1B Paul Goldschmidt (R)
RF Aaron Judge (C) (R)
2B Amed Rosario (R)
DH Giancarlo Stanton (R)
CF Trent Grisham (L)
LF Randal Grichuk (R)
C Austin Wells (L)
SS José Caballero (R)
3B Ryan McMahon (L)
SP: LHP Ryan Weathers (0-1, 2.81 ERA)
Schedule
7:05 PM (6:05 PM CDT): NYY vs. LAA; YES, Gotham Sports; SP: LHP Ryan Weathers (0-1, 2.81 ERA) vs. LHP Reid Detmers (0-1, 4.60 ERA)
Cover Image Courtesy: New York Yankees
