Daily Report – 6/8/26
Yankees
Nobody ever seems to want to talk about the Yankees’ stats with two outs this season. They lead Major League Baseball with 135 two-out RBI, 31 home runs, in batting average (.261), and in OPS (.822). Yesterday, they scored five two-out runs in the eighth inning, overcoming the Boston Red Sox 6-1 after Saturday’s game got rained out.
Aaron Judge may be out for two months, but his bat still homered yesterday. Following an eighth-inning pitching change, wearing Giancarlo Stanton’s pants, Jazz Chisholm Jr. crushed the first pitch he saw deep to right field for a three-run blast. Chisholm said he has used every teammate’s bat this season, except Paul Goldschmidt’s and Stanton’s.
“When I pick up [Judge’s] bat, I know I can’t swing as hard as I can, or else I’ll tear an oblique like I did last year,” Chisholm said. “I feel like it just helps me to go out there and control the barrel and just try to touch the ball instead of trying to hit it so hard.”
Chisholm endured a difficult offensive start to his season, but he is 22-for-72 (.306) in his last 19 games. He struck out three times yesterday and committed a defensive blunder, but he erased all of that with one swing.
“That’s the best thing about baseball,” Chisholm said. “You know you’ve got a couple of at-bats a game, and coming down to the last one — you never know in baseball — he might leave you something down the middle for you to hit and help you with your day and probably help your team win.”
Cody Bellinger has also gotten hot recently, especially at home, where he has hit to a .358 average in 30 games. Yesterday, he came up big with two outs in the eighth, crushing a go-ahead solo shot to right field.
“Obviously, Aaron being out is such a huge loss,” Bellinger said. “Even just having that name in the lineup is such a huge presence. Ultimately, we’ve all got to lean on each other. We still have a really talented team. We’ve got a lot of athletic guys, and we can win in many different ways. We’re going to have to fight.”
Without Judge, other players will have to step up. The Yankees needed a chance to build their confidence offensively, following Judge’s diagnosis. Bellinger, Chisholm, Goldschmidt, Ben Rice, and Trent Grisham will be relied on even more now.
Goldschmidt recorded two hits yesterday, including an RBI single in the fifth inning, and he has a remarkable .400 batting average against left-handed pitching this season. Next, Grisham tied his season high with three hits, including an RBI single in the eighth inning.
After scoring just one run through their first 7 2/3 innings, Cam Schlittler was the biggest reason the Yankees had a chance to come back. In his first full Big League season, the 25-year-old righty leads the American League with a 1.87 ERA, the third best in baseball. He walked his first batter since mid-May in a four-hit, one-run performance.
According to the Yankees, Schlittler has allowed one run or fewer in 10 of his 14 starts this season. Also, his 1.87 ERA is the second-lowest by a Yankees’ starting pitcher in 42 years, and his 2.38 ERA through his first 28 starts is the lowest by any Yankees starter and the third-lowest by any MLB starter since 1913.
But Schlittler pitched to a new catcher yesterday. Ali Sánchez made his first start for the Yankees after Austin Wells hit the injured list with cervical headaches. The Yankees’ starting catcher has endured a horrific start to his season, batting .166 with seven RBI in 47 games.
Nevertheless, pitching is the biggest reason 2023 won’t repeat itself. With yesterday’s victory, the Yankees tied the Tampa Bay Rays for the division lead, and their 38 wins lead the American League.
Things looked bleak in the fourth inning when, with a 3-0 count and the bases loaded, Anthony Volpe lined out, but Goldschmidt put the Bombers on the board in the fifth. Willson Contreras tied the game in the sixth with a double off Schlittler, but Fernando Cruz stranded him with two pitches.
Aside from a sixth-inning double by Grisham, things remained quiet on both sides until the eighth inning. Brent Headrick ran into trouble in the seventh when Chisholm fielded a ground ball too slowly to secure any outs. With runners at first and second base, former Yankee Isiah Kiner-Falefa grounded out to Chisholm for a double play.
IKF’s groundout set the table for the eighth inning, even though Spencer Jones struck out swinging in a big spot in the seventh. Tim Hill retired the side in the top of the eighth, and then the Yankees went to work. They are the best offensive team in baseball with two outs this season, and it isn’t even close.
Tonight, at 6:40 PM, the Yankees will begin a three-game series in Cleveland (YES, Gotham Sports). The Yankees lost two of three games to the Guardians last week, so they hope to flip the narrative on the road. Initially scheduled to start on Saturday, RHP Will Warren (7-1, 3.22 ERA) will pitch for the Yankees tonight against the tough righty Gavin Williams (9-3, 3.20 ERA).
Schedule
6:40 PM: NYY at CLE; YES, Gotham Sports; SP: RHP Will Warren (7-1, 3.22 ERA) vs. RHP Gavin Williams (9-3, 3.20 ERA)
8:30 PM: 2026 NBA Finals, Game 3 – NYK (2-0) vs. SA (0-2); ABC, ESPN App
Cover Image Courtesy: New York Yankees
