Daily Report – 8/8/25
Yankees
It was an awful week for Yankees manager Aaron Boone, so when his team was on the verge of losing their Wild Card spot on Wednesday, he knew he had to change his approach. The first change was removing Devin Williams as closer. The second was replacing him with David Bednar.
With the Yankees leading Texas 3-2 with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning yesterday, Boone selected Bednar to attempt a five-out save. Bednar walked Joc Pederson but struck out Kyle Higashioka and Josh Smith to end the inning. He started the bottom of the ninth with two strikeouts, but after a walk to Corey Seager and a single from Marcus Semien, Boone had a key decision to make.
“I was going to take [Bednar] out, honestly,” said Boone, who told Bednar, “I’m going to take you here,” and as Boone recalled, “he gave me a look like, ‘No, you’re not.’ I said, ‘Are you sure?’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, let’s go – I got this guy.’”
Bednar’s perseverance was commendable. It wasn’t just in line with the type of pitcher his resume portrays, but in line with the necessary qualifications to close games in New York. “I didn’t even see [Boone] coming,” said Bednar. “I was just kind of getting my mind right to face García. I told [Boone] I wanted [to face] him, and he agreed, and I just wanted to bear down and get that last one.”
“That’s a dawg effort, right there,” said Aaron Boone. But Boone was the real “dawg” in this scenario. He trusted his gut. He managed with urgency. And it paid off, as Bednar became the first Yankee since Goose Gossage in 1982 to record five strikeouts in a save situation. “What a great, gutsy effort,” Boone remarked.
Carlos Rodón started on the mound for the Yankees on Wednesday, and through five innings, he allowed six hits, two runs, and four walks on 93 pitches. In the bottom of the third inning, he gave up a double to Ezequiel Duran, and Sam Haggerty drove him home with a single to right field. After Rodón walked Corey Seager to put runners at first and second base without any outs, Marcus Semien grounded into a double play. The Yankees’ defense finished the game with three double plays.
“It was kind of a battle,” said Rodón on his outing. In his last few starts, he has struggled to record outs after walks. “I fell behind guys at times and just tried to minimize damage. Obviously, I’d like to go longer than that and be more economical with pitches.”
The Yankees’ offense backed Rodón up in the fourth inning, forcing Jack Leiter out of the game after just 68 pitches. Cody Bellinger walked before Jazz Chisholm Jr. flied out, but Jasson Domínguez worked a walk and Anthony Volpe singled to tie the game. Then, Domínguez and Volpe each stole bases, but Kyle Higashioka’s throw got away from Josh Smith’s glove at third base, allowing Domínguez to score for a 2-1 lead.
Rodón held things down in the bottom of the fourth inning, but he lost control in the fifth. With one out, he couldn’t field a short grounder from Ezequiel Duran, and he then walked Sam Haggerty and Corey Seager to load the bases for Marcus Semien. The second baseman drove in a run on a sacrifice fly, tying the score at two.
In the top of the seventh inning, with the score tied 2-2, Amed Rosario pinch-hit for Ryan McMahon against the lefty Robert Garcia. Rosario grounded out to third base, but then Paul Goldschmidt pinch hit for Austin Wells, and he delivered a go-ahead solo home run to left field. Goldschmidt’s homer marked his second in this three-game series in Texas, and his first ended a 31-game drought.
“I’m getting a lot more practice this year with pinch-hitting,” said Goldschmidt, who holds a .410 batting average and a 1.217 OPS in 105 at-bats against lefties this season. “Before that at-bat, I just reminded myself not to do too much. You know, you’re late in the game, and the way we’ve been playing, sometimes you may try to do too much.”
Thankfully, Aaron Boone didn’t try to do too much. He let David Bednar stay in the ninth inning to secure the five-out save. Now, momentum could shift the Yankees’ fate in the right direction as they prepare for a big series against the Houston Astros.
The Astros currently lead the American League West by 1.5 games, with Seattle on their tail. At the deadline, Houston reunited with Carlos Correa, making them an even more formidable World Series contender. The odds of another ALCS matchup between the Yankees and Astros are high, so the Yankees must prove they can contend with their rivals.
Tonight, at 7:05, RHP Cam Schlittler (1-2, 4.58 ERA) will start for the Yankees against RHP Hunter Brown (9-5, 2.47 ERA) (AppleTV+).
On Saturday, at 11:30 AM, the Yankees will host their 77th annual Old-Timers’ Day, honoring the 25th anniversary of the 2000 World Champion Yankees (YES). The Old-Timers will play a game, followed by RHP Luis Gil (0-1, 13.50 ERA) starting for the Yankees at 2:05 PM against LHP Framber Valdez (11-5, 2.83 ERA).
On Sunday, at 1:35 PM, LHP Max Fried (12-4, 2.78 ERA) will start for the Yankees against a Houston starter who is yet to be announced (YES).
Schedule
Tonight 8/8:
7:05 PM: Friday Night Baseball – NYY vs. HOU; AppleTV+; SP: RHP Cam Schlittler (1-2, 4.58 ERA)
Saturday 8/9:
1:00 PM: 2025 NFL Preseason – NYG at BUF; WNBC
2:05 PM: NYY vs. HOU; YES; SP: RHP Luis Gil (0-1, 13.50 ERA)
6:00 PM: Subway Series: 25th Anniversary Special; YES
Sunday 8/10:
12:30 PM: NYL vs. MIN; ABC
1:35 PM: NYY vs. HOU; YES; SP: LHP Max Fried (12-4, 2.78 ERA)
