Daily Report – 9/22/25
Yankees
What a weekend for the Bronx Bombers! They won three of four in Baltimore, and each game featured a monumental moment.
On Friday, the Yankees lost 4-2, but Jazz Chisholm Jr. became the third slugger in Yankees history to post a 30-30 season. Since the Yankees traded for Chisholm at the deadline last season, he’s hit to a .251 batting average with 42 home runs and 48 stolen bases. “I feel like [being in a winning atmosphere has] boosted my career, 100%, in different ways,” said Chisholm. “The winning mentality, the winning atmosphere, the way everybody in the front office, to the training staff, wants to win. This is how I felt like I grew up playing baseball, and what I needed to be around to be even more successful.”
While Friday’s loss meant the Yankees missed out on an opportunity to gain a game on Toronto (they lost 20-1 to Kansas City), they managed to reduce their deficit to two games for the division lead (really three because Toronto holds the tiebreaker). With six games left in the regular season, it would take a miracle for the Yankees to win the division, but anything is possible if they keep winning games. Also, their magic number to clinch a playoff spot is now three because Cleveland and Houston have better records against their respective divisions than the Yankees, who have 88 wins, while Cleveland and Houston have 84. With six games left in the season, the Yankees will clinch a playoff spot once they reach 91 wins. But there’s a chance the Yankees can clinch in as few as two games if Cleveland and Houston each lose one of their next two games.
On Saturday, the Yankees won 6-1 against Baltimore, and in the first inning, Giancarlo Stanton crushed the 450th home run of his career, making him the fifth-fastest player to reach the milestone. He continues to lead active MLB players in home runs, and he now has sole possession of 41st place on the all-time home run list. He is one homer away from tying Carl Yastrzemski for 40th place.
“It’s a cool round number,” said Stanton. “It’s cool to see the names I’m catching and tying and going above. Most importantly, it helped us win.”
Aaron Judge also hit his 49th home run as the Yankees cruised past Tomoyuki Sugano and the Orioles. Carlos Rodón also had another great start, giving up four hits and one run over seven innings. He threw 96 pitches and collected eight strikeouts, and he now has 17 wins on the season.
Despite all these achievements, Sunday’s game was the best of the three. The Yankees struggled against Baltimore’s pitching staff, but their bullpen held down the fort after Cam Schlittler made it through just five 1/3 innings. He only allowed one run, but the rest of the bullpen was lights-out. Tim Hill, Fernando Cruz, Luke Weaver, Devin Williams, and David Bednar split the load through three 1/3 innings, keeping the score tied 1-1 into extra innings. Williams’ outing was the best of the five pitchers, as he celebrated his birthday by striking out the side in the eighth inning.
The Yankees grinded their way to the top of the 10th inning with just one run and five hits on the board. Three outs later, they were leading 7-1. Trent Grisham started the inning at second base, and Aaron Judge walked, and following a pitching change, Cody Bellinger singled to load the bases. Then, Ben Rice drove a center-cut fastball to deep right-center field for a grand slam. The deep shot was Rice’s fourth hit of the game, and it put the Yankees ahead 5-1.
“Good swings all day [by Rice], including the last one, which was terrific,” said manager Aaron Boone. “Left-on-left bomb there. Going the other way early, laying the barrel on it all day.”
Much of Rice’s success this season comes from his 56.3% hard-hit rate, which is the fourth highest in the majors. If that isn’t impressive, consider that the only MLB sluggers with a higher hard-hit rate are Kyle Schwarber, Shohei Ohtani, and Aaron Judge. But Rice’s defensive versatility has played a major role as well, allowing him to contribute to the team in more ways than one. Rice didn’t start catching until midway through the year, but because he can catch and play first base, Aaron Boone can pinch-hit him without having to remove him from the lineup. Paul Goldschmidt, the Yankees’ primary first baseman, is an excellent platoon option against left-handed pitching, and he can replace Rice at first base late in games while Rice takes over behind the plate.
“Hitting a go-ahead homer is always fun,” Rice laughed. “I was excited, and the team was excited. Every game is going to be more important than the last one, so we’ve just got to stay on top of it and keep our foot on the gas.”
Yankees starting pitcher Cam Schlittler delivered a strong five 1/3 innings, allowing one run while striking out six batters. The lone run scored via a home run by Samuel Basallo against a knee-high curveball in the fifth inning. Schlittler, who is still trying to earn a spot in the Yankees’ postseason rotation, said that Rice’s home run was “electric.” He added, “That’s something Benny does normally. We were playing for a little bit more than [Baltimore] right now, so that’s a great feeling to get that cushion going into the bottom of the 10th.”
One out after Rice’s home run, Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a solo shot to right field to extend the Yankees’ lead to 6-1. José Caballero also doubled, and Anthony Volpe brought him home with a ground-ball single. With the Yankees leading 7-1, Camilo Doval pitched in the bottom of the 10th inning. Although he loaded the bases, he managed to escape trouble unscathed.
“We control what we can control, but I’m confident in this team,” Schlittler said. “We’ve got a chance to put ourselves in a really good spot, whether that’s with a bye or not. The team is going to be locked in the next six games.”
The Yankees have the day off today, and they will end their regular season in the Bronx with three games against the White Sox and Orioles. The Yankees have not yet announced who will start Thursday’s game because they are still deciding if Will Warren will pitch out of the bullpen in a Wild Card series. If the Yankees are still positioned to be a Wild Card team by Thursday, then Carlos Rodón will likely start the third game against Chicago.
Schedule
8:15 PM (7:15 PM CDT): Monday Night Football (MNF), Week 3 – Detroit Lions (1-1) at Baltimore Ravens (1-1); ESPN, ABC
