Daily Report – 9/9/26
Yankees
Aaron Judge might not have hit a home run yesterday, but his spot in the lineup certainly did.
100 days after landing on the injured list, the lion returned to his pride. To the delight of his teammates and fans, Judge finally rejoined his team. But because his night was cut short, Heliot Ramos got an opportunity in the eighth inning. And with one swing, he gave the Yankees a 5-1 lead.
But for the Yankees to reach that point, and eventually a 5-3 win over Colorado, Cam Schlittler had to hold the Rockies down. He did much more than that. With seven one-run innings, zero walks, and 10 strikeouts, Schlittler secured his franchise record-setting 20th start allowing one run or fewer, a record he had already broken.
This keeps Schlittler above Ron Guidry (1978), Whitey Ford (1964), and Jack Chesbro (1904), each of whom allowed one run or fewer 18 times in one season. Also, Schlittler’s 2.01 ERA is the fourth-lowest through 30 starts in franchise history, and the lowest since Guidry in 1978.
“He’s the best pitcher in the league, manager Aaron Boone said of Schlittler. “When you have that going all year at the top of your rotation, that’s massive. And that’s what he’s been.”
The Yankees have plenty of competition to overcome if they want to win a World Series. Especially if they have to start the playoffs with a best-of-three Wild Card series, nothing is guaranteed. The only guarantee is that without Judge, the Yankees’ World Series chances are nonexistent.
The Yankees can always fall back on their rotation, though, which has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 19 of the club’s last 24 games, and one run or fewer in 15 of them. Schlittler, the ace, generated 19 swings and misses yesterday, including seven strikeouts with his four-seam fastball.
“I thought last time out, he made a really good adjustment where he went through a handful of starts, where by his standard, [he] was a little scattered and walked some guys,” Boone said. “I thought Colorado, up and down the lineup, put some really good swings on him tonight. […] But you look up, and it’s double-digit strikeouts and no walks.”
The Yankees’ victory also secured the franchise’s 34th consecutive winning season, the second-longest in North American sports history. The record is 39, set by the Yankees between 1926 and 1964. Behind the ongoing stretch since 1993, the Montreal Canadiens rank third with 32 (1952-1983), and the Boston Bruins rank fourth with 29 (1968-1996).
“It’s not as easy as sometimes people think,” Boone said. “In ’23, it was a fight to get to that point. Certainly not what we’re out for, looking to do. But I think it’s a good look at what this organization has been now for decades. I’m happy we get there again, but obviously, we’ve got bigger things we’re chasing.”
Now, the path to those “bigger things” has reappeared. Despite going 0-for-3 at the plate with two strikeouts yesterday, Judge’s impact was measurable. Whether it was the standing ovation he received before his first at-bat, or the deep fly ball he barely missed in the fourth inning, the captain was excited to be back on the field.
“I felt great,” Judge said. “I just haven’t been in a live game or seen live pitching in three months, so it’s kind of like the start of the year. But I’ve got work to do. Got to improve, and we’ll keep improving as this goes along. Because we’ve got ballgames to win, and that’s the most important thing.”
As expected, Boone removed Judge after the sixth inning. The goal is to ramp him up slowly, especially because he didn’t go on a rehab assignment. Judge might be healthy, but he might not play tomorrow night. The last thing the Yankees need is to aggravate his rib injury.
“I thought he looked really good,” Boone said. “Obviously there will be some time getting the timing and rhythm nd everything, but I thought he was on pitches tonight for the most part. Just missed that one to right-center, and then got frozen on a 3-2 count. I felt like he was, for the most part, making good swing decisions.
“He was not real pleased with me for taking him out.”
Notably, Judge’s average bat speed last night was 76.6 mph, higher than his 76.1 mph average this season. He also averaged 78.9 mph against fastballs. But while the captain made his triumphant return from injury, Jazz Chisholm Jr. left the game early after jamming his thumb while sliding into second base.
Chisholm got called out on his slide in the eighth inning, ending the Yankees’ exciting rally. Against lefty Brennan Bernardino, who hadn’t allowed a run in nine straight appearances, Ben Rice walked, Cody Bellinger doubled, and Ramos cleared the bags with a three-run home run into the Yankees’ bullpen.
Next, Luis García Jr. singled, and after a pitching change, Spencer Jones struck out swinging before Chisholm failed to extend a long single. He stayed to play defense in the ninth inning, but exited after bouncing a throw to first base. He will be reassessed today, depending on whether the swelling in his hand has receded.
In other news, Fernando Cruz said he went to Dr. Keith Meister’s office prepared for any answer, but he was surprised by the outcome. Before Cruz could speak, Dr. Meister told him he would get him back on the mound this season, despite his partially torn UCL. Cruz received a cortisone shot, and he is expected to resume throwing by the end of the week.
Additionally, Ryan Weathers is getting closer to returning to action. He was shut down for two weeks with a forearm flexor strain, but he threw from flat ground yesterday and over the weekend. He could start throwing from a mound as soon as this weekend, and if all goes well, he could factor into the Yankees’ playoff bullpen.
Tonight, at 7:05 PM (6:05 PM CDT), RHP Will Warren (9-6, 4.16 ERA) will start for the Yankees against the righty Tomoyuki Sugano (12-8, 5.19 ERA) (YES, Gotham Sports).
Here is tonight’s starting lineup for the New York Yankees:
DH Ben Rice (L)
LF Cody Bellinger (L)
RF Aaron Judge (R) (C)
1B Luis García Jr. (L)
CF Spencer Jones (L)
SS George Lombard Jr. (R)
3B Ryan McMahon (L)
C Austin Wells (L)
2B José Caballero (R)
SP: RHP Will Warren (9-6, 4.16 ERA)
Schedule
7:05 PM (6:05 PM CDT): NYY vs. COL; YES, Gotham Sports; SP: RHP Will Warren (9-6, 4.16 ERA) vs. RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (12-8, 5.19 ERA)
8:20 PM (7:20 PM CDT): 2026 NFL Kickoff Game – New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks; NBC, Peacock
7:00 PM (6:00 PM CDT): NFL Kickoff 2026; NBC, Peacock
Cover Image Courtesy: New York Yankees
