Daily Report – 9/2/25
Here is today’s report:
Yankees
It had been 68 years since the top five members of the Yankees’ all-time home run leaderboard changed. But that changed in Chicago on Sunday when Aaron Judge hit his 358th career home run, tying Yogi Berra for the fifth most in Yankees history. Judge went 3-for-5 in the game, and his home run marked his 43rd of the season.
“To get a chance to tie one of the greatest, if not the greatest, Yankees in homers, it’s pretty special,” said the Yankees captain. “The way Yogi played the game, what he meant to pinstripes, you knew how much it meant being a New York Yankee to him. I feel the same way.”
After hitting just six home runs in August following a stint on the injured list with a flexor strain, Judge hopes to use Sunday’s performance as momentum as the Yankees continue their path toward a playoff berth. “I haven’t been getting on base enough for the guys behind me recently,” said Judge. He hopes to return to the outfield soon, and reports suggest he should be able to do so within the next few weeks.
Although the Yankees lost 3-2 on Sunday, they managed to win seven straight games before that, which included taking three of four from the White Sox. They won comfortably on Friday, securing a 10-2 victory highlighted by a grand slam from Trent Grisham. On Saturday, it was a bit more challenging as Devin Williams blew a 2-1 lead in the seventh inning, and the Yankees had to wait until the 11th frame to secure the victory.
David Bednar pitched two innings on Saturday, and after the Yankees couldn’t score in the top of the 10th, he kept the score tied in the bottom. In the top of the 11th inning, the Yankees scored three runs via a single from Cody Bellinger and doubles from Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Anthony Volpe, and they eventually won 5-3.
On Sunday, the Yankees couldn’t complete the sweep against Chicago, which put their seven-game win streak to bed. Luis Gil started for the Yankees, and he gave them a chance to win, allowing just two runs through 5 1/3 innings, totaling seven strikeouts. Gil was one of several Yankees to find their flow this weekend, in addition to Aaron Judge and Anthony Volpe. The struggling shortstop broke a 1-for-32 slide and went 6-for-14 (.429) in the four-game series.
The Yankees started their Sunday off hot, as Aaron Judge hit a solo home run in the first inning, which was the shot that tied Yogi Berra for fifth place in Yankees history. Chicago tied the score in the second inning as Curtis Mead and Will Robertson hit consecutive doubles off Luis Gil, but the Yankees did the same in the third inning to regain their one-run lead. Aaron Judge doubled to center field, and Cody Bellinger drove him home with a double to right. Then, Giancarlo Stanton lifted a full-count changeup to deep right field, but former Yankee Mike Tauchman leapt at the wall and robbed Stanton of a two-run home run.
“That’s the one guy you don’t want to hit it to,” Aaron Judge said of Tauchman, his former teammate. “I hated seeing it, to be honest, but that guy’s a ballplayer.”
Tauchman’s third-inning catch saved the game for Chicago, and they took advantage in the bottom of the eighth inning. With two outs and a 1-2 count against Tim Hill, Lenyn Sosa drove a low sinker to deep center field for a go-ahead solo home run. The Yankees managed to contain Sosa, a rising star in Chicago, for most of this series, but he made them pay to avoid getting swept.
Hill was a highly touted high-leverage reliever last season, and the Yankees considered him a steal when they claimed him off waivers from the White Sox. But he faltered against the team that released him, and Sosa’s home run was the seventh Hill had given up this season. Hill has historically been recognized as a groundball pitcher, so he does not give up home runs often. However, after posting a 0.71 ERA in 14 games in June, he recorded a 3.46 ERA in July and a 3.86 ERA in August.
“The only consideration was, do we go Hill or [Luke Weaver] that inning?” said manager Aaron Boone. “Kind of liked them both with the lefty lane.” Sometimes, a hitter puts a good swing on a pitch that usually leads to an out. “Guy put a really good swing on it and was able to ride it out the front door,” Boone remarked.
The Yankees cannot let Sunday’s loss ail them, for tonight, they begin a 12-game stretch of games against playoff-bound American League teams. After winning their series in Chicago, along with 14 of their last 19 games, the Yankees are tied with Boston for second place, sitting 2.5 games behind Toronto for the division lead. Just over one week ago, they ranked 6.5 games behind Toronto. The Yankees are also tied with Boston for the first AL Wild Card spot, which ranks 3.5 games ahead of Seattle for the third position.
“It’s coming down to the wire,” said Aaron Judge. “We want to play the best teams, especially getting down the stretch here into the postseason. That’s what it’s all about, to see what we’re made of.”
The Yankees have a chance to change the narrative surrounding how they match up against winning teams. They are currently 37-37 against teams with .500 and winning records, including 12-20 against the other five playoff-bound teams in the American League. For so long, the narrative has been that when bad teams play the Yankees, they work harder against them than any other opponent, simply because of the pomp and circumstance associated with the Yankees brand. This year, although it hasn’t been perfect, the Yankees have worked hard to suppress that narrative. However, the same cannot be said for how they perform against division opponents and playoff teams, and the Yankees’ struggles against Toronto and Boston have strengthened the chains that hold them down in the division standings.
The Yankees have a chance to seek vengeance against Baltimore and Boston soon, but they need to shake off the Astros first. Houston has had the Yankees’ number for nearly a decade, and despite making fools of them a few weeks ago, the Astros have seen a significant reduction in offensive production all season. Nonetheless, Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve have reunited, and Correa is playing as well as, if not better than, he did when he was a world champion in H-Town.
No matter how much success the Yankees have, they always seem to find their way back to Houston. And no matter what they do, they ultimately lose to Houston. Wherever they go, Jose Altuve is waiting. The Astros are waiting. And the Yankees can’t afford to turn their backs against Houston for even a second, because the Astros will bite. And they’ll do whatever it takes to finish the meal.
Tonight’s pitching matchup (7:10 PM; TBS, YES) will be crucial for Houston and New York, and LHP Max Fried (14-5, 3.06 ERA) must find a way to outlast and outperform LHP Framber Valdez (12-7, 3.18 ERA). Fried was able to match up well against Boston last weekend, and he followed it up with a strong start against Washington on Wednesday.
Here is tonight’s starting lineup for the New York Yankees:
1B Paul Goldschmidt (R)
RF Cody Bellinger (L)
DH Aaron Judge (C) (R)
LF Giancarlo Stanton (R)
CF Trent Grisham (L)
SS Anthony Volpe (R)
2B Jazz Chisholm Jr. (L)
3B José Caballero (R)
C Austin Wells (L)
SP: LHP Max Fried (14-5, 3.06 ERA)
“We think we have a really good team, but we’ve got to continue to go prove it,” said Aaron Boone. “We have that opportunity to prove it here in the final month of the season and hopefully beyond.”
Schedule
8:10 PM (7:10 PM CDT): NYY at HOU; YES, TNT; SP: LHP Max Fried (14-5, 3.06 ERA)
