Daily Report – 6/17/26
Yankees
Remember the infamous “June Swoon” that repeatedly plagues Aaron Boone’s Yankees teams? When Aaron Judge went down, the Swoon felt all but imminent. But somehow, without their captain and a few other key players, the Yankees lead the American League with an 8-4 record this month.
Last night in the Bronx, win number 44 of the season arrived with a 12-2 wallop of the first-place Chicago White Sox. The Yankees torched Davis Martin, Chicago’s starting pitcher and a likely All-Star candidate, with nine runs across their first 3 1/3 innings. By the end of the fourth inning, the Bombers had already scored 11 runs. They finished the game with 12 runs on 16 hits, their second most this season.
Spencer Jones got the party started with a rocket to right field in the second inning, his second homer of the season. In eight games since returning to the Majors on June 5, Jones is 7-for-22 (.318) with a 1.059 OPS and five RBI. He is also hitting .500 this season in six at-bats with runners in scoring position.
Jones credited his teammates for being so welcoming and encouraging. He said they helped him realize he belongs in the Majors, and that belief powers his performance. Now, his resurgence has deepened the Yankees’ lineup at a time when they need it most.
“You can visualize what the Major Leagues are going to be like,” Jones said. “But until you’re in there and see it, expectation and reality don’t always match up. That first [call-up] was a lot of new information, a lot of new things.”
The Yankees scored four runs in the third inning and added six in the fourth. JC Escarra led off the third with a checked-swing double down the left-field line. Behind him, Anthony Volpe singled and Ben Rice walked, loading the bases for Cody Bellinger.
Since signing with the Yankees last season, Bellinger owns a .500 batting average with three extra-base hits and 32 RBI with the bases loaded. In yesterday’s third inning, he plated the Yankees’ eventual go-ahead run with a two-run single.
Three batters later, Spencer Jones walked with the bases loaded, and José Caballero nailed a pitch 340 feet to center field for a sacrifice fly. In the fourth inning, Escarra singled, and with one out, Rice crushed his 20th home run of the season. Two batters later, Paul Goldschmidt left the yard as well, putting the Yankees ahead 9-1.
Riding high at 38 years young, Goldschmidt tied his home run total from last season with his 10th of the year. With a .400 batting average (12-for-30) and three home runs in his last seven games, plus a .349 average (22-for-63) with five homers and 18 RBI in his last 15 games, Goldschmidt has been key to the Yankees’ continued offensive success without their captain.
“It’s not like Judge and [Giancarlo Stanton] are coming back tomorrow, so we have to do this for a while,” Goldschmidt said. “This is a good start, but we’ve got to keep it going. I think the way we’re playing speaks to our depth and the culture I stepped into here last year. It’s about winning, no matter who’s out there.”
Goldschmidt, a future Hall-of-Fame first baseman, has hit .394 with a 1.148 OPS with runners in scoring position this season. He has 13 hits, two home runs, and 21 RBI in such situations. The Yankees also lead the American League with a .806 OPS with runners in scoring position, and their 148 hits rank fourth.
Meanwhile, on the mound, Gerrit Cole was excellent. After surrendering a first-inning solo home run to Andrew Benintendi, he retired each of his next 13 batters with overpowering stuff. He earned four of his six strikeouts with his four-seam fastball. He used six different types of pitches.
After the game, Cole described his pre-injury approach to every start as a “blank canvas.”
“I’m just laying down some base layer paint, and we’ll see what kind of Bob Ross connection comes at the end of the year,” Cole said. “A little bit of liquid white.”
In other Yankees news, Giancarlo Stanton was disappointed that he suffered a setback in his return from a calf strain. Although it isn’t clear if he is back at square one, the slugger has been shut down from running for at least a week. Then, he will be reevaluated, and the Yankees will determine the next steps.
Tonight, at 7:05 PM, Knicks champions Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart will throw out the first pitch before the Yankees go for the series win over Chicago (Prime Video). LHP Carlos Rodón (2-2, 3.19 ERA) will start for the Yankees against the lefty Anthony Kay (6-1, 4.34 ERA).
Here is tonight’s starting lineup for the New York Yankees:
1B Paul Goldschmidt (R)
DH Ben Rice (L)
3B Amed Rosario (R)
CF Cody Bellinger (L)
RF Jasson Domínguez (S)
2B Jazz Chisholm Jr. (L)
LF José Caballero (R)
SS Anthony Volpe (R)
C Ali Sánchez (R)
SP: LHP Carlos Rodón (2-2, 3.19 ERA)
Schedule
7:05 PM: NYY vs. CWS; Prime Video; SP: LHP Carlos Rodón (2-2, 3.19 ERA) vs. LHP Anthony Kay (6-1, 4.34 ERA)
Cover Image Courtesy: New York Yankees
