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Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Yankees' pitching staff quietly leads 14-game streak
Yankees' pitching staff quietly leads 14-game streak originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Yankees' pitching staff has quietly put together something you don't see every day. In the last 14 straight games heading into Friday night's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Yankees' pitchers have allowed four runs or fewer per game. Advertisement It's a streak that doesn't just show how good they are now—it puts their current run in rare historical company. New York Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt pitches against the Angles in Anaheim on May 28, 2025. © Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Since May 13, the Bronx Bombers have held opponents to a 1.86 ERA over that stretch, with 13 of those games allowing three runs or less. That kind of consistency on the mound is what fuels wins. It is no coincidence that the Yankees are 16-4 in their last 20 games, riding this pitching wave as much as their offense. This streak is the longest the Yankees have posted in 39 years, dating back to 1987, according to the game notes. And it's only the fifth time since 1920 that New York has done it this long. Previous runs include an 18-game stretch in 1953 and 17 games in 1963. So this isn't just some hot streak. It's historic. Advertisement No surprise here, but Max Fried has been the biggest reason behind it all. The lefty is 7-0 with a 1.29 ERA in 11 starts this year. But it's not just Fried. The bullpen and rotation depth have kept this pitching streak alive. From Clarke Schmidt's recent scoreless outing to the bullpen shutting down opponents late, this team's pitching depth is the real deal. What is surprising is that the Yankees are doing this without Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil. Cole is out for the season after Tommy John surgery. Gil is working his way back from a lat strain that has prevented him from making his 2025 debut. Advertisement With the Bronx Bombers, pitching often gets overlooked. But this Yankees staff reminds us it's still the foundation for winning. Holding opponents under four runs for 14 games straight might not grab the headlines every day, but it's what turns good teams into contenders. Related: Max Fried's Cy Young Momentum Builds With Rockies Masterclass Related: Yankees' 'Told Ya So' Moment Arrives with $162 Million Veteran This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on May 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Yankees outduel Angels for sweep to head into Dodgers showdown on high note
Access the Yankees beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees. Try it free ANAHEIM, Calif. — Before the Yankees played a single inning at Angel Stadium this week, Aaron Boone was already being asked about the big showdown looming this weekend up I-5. Advertisement 'I'm looking out at the Angels right now, so that's where my mind's at,' Boone said Monday afternoon in the visiting dugout. With the Angels now swept out of the way, the attention can fully turn to the World Series rematch. The Yankees took care of business here on Wednesday, finishing off a three-game sweep of the Angels on the back of another strong starting pitching performance, this one from Clarke Schmidt in a 1-0 win at Angel Stadium. Schmidt threw six shutout innings in which he scattered just four hits and one walk while striking out five, lifting the Yankees (35-20) to their fifth straight win heading into a weekend series with the Dodgers that begins on Friday. Advertisement 'Obviously we're playing really good baseball right now and the energy in the clubhouse is great,' Schmidt said in a clubhouse that was more boisterous than usual after a win. Clarke Schmidt, who did not allow a run, celebrates after recording his final out to end the sixth inning of the Yankees' 1-0 win over the Angels on May 28, 2025. AP In relief of Schmidt, Ian Hamilton (1 ²/₃ innings) and Tim Hill bridged the gap to the ninth for Mark Leiter Jr. — on a night when Luke Weaver and Devin Williams were both unavailable — who delivered his second save of the season with a pair of strikeouts. Catcher J.C. Escarra, who had gotten beaten up by foul tips behind the plate all night, helped frame the final pitch — which he later said was 'definitely a ball — for a called third strike to end it. CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS 'A 1-0 game is always intense,' Leiter said. 'Everybody else did their job, it's my turn to come in and do my job. Get a little more emotion coming out of that last out, trying to hold it together throughout the game and not riding the emotion of the game. But definitely feels good once you get that last out.' Advertisement Between Schmidt, Carlos Rodón and Ryan Yarbrough, Yankees starters in this series combined to pitch 19 innings in which they allowed just one run on 11 hits and two walks with 21 strikeouts. Anthony Volpe hits what proved to be the game-winning sacrifice fly in the first inning of the Yankees' win over the Angels. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Part of that might be attributed to the state of the Mike Trout-less Angels (25-30), though they had won seven straight — including a sweep of the Dodgers — shortly before this series. But it is also more encouraging results for the Yankees rotation, which has now posted an MLB-best 2.54 ERA over its last 40 starts. They have allowed one or zero earned runs in 22 of those starts, including nine of their last 13. Advertisement 'You're only as good as your starting pitching generally and they've been great,' Leiter said. 'They've been carrying us a lot and giving us a chance to win every night and that's all you can ask.' Mark Leiter Jr. pitched a scoreless inning to pick up his second save of the season in the Yankees' win over the Angels. Getty Images Schmidt was coming off an ineffective start against the Rockies his last time out on Friday, in which he was somewhat handcuffed by the high altitude altering his pitches. But for the most part he was sharper on Wednesday, retiring 15 of the final 16 batters he faced. The Angels took the bat out of Aaron Judge's hands in each of his first two plate appearances with intentional walks, one of which led to the Yankees' only run of the night. Aaron Judge, who went 0-for-2 with two walks, takes a swing during a fifth-inning at-bat during the Yankees' win over the Angels. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images The first came after Paul Goldschmidt led off the game with a hustle double and Trent Grisham struck out, leaving first base open with one out. After Angels manager Ron Washington flashed four fingers to put Advertisement Judge on, left-hander Yusei Kikuchi followed by walking Cody Bellinger on five pitches to load the bases for Anthony Volpe, who delivered a sacrifice fly for the 1-0 lead. Thanks to the Yankees' pitching staff, it proved to be all they would need to head to Los Angeles on a high. 'Anytime you get a sweep, that's not easy to do in this league,' manager Aaron Boone said. 'So there's that excitement, knowing we're going into an off day, we're not going far. You kind of look to those off days and when you get a sweep into an off day and you do it on a night when you're staying away from a few guys [in the bullpen] — some other guys really stepped up in some big roles. Pretty cool and makes for a good day [Thursday].'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Yankees have a busload of momentum heading into World Series rematch against Dodgers
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees will have a good head of steam as they bus 30 miles up the 5 Freeway for their World Series rematch against the Los Angeles Dodgers this weekend. New York's 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night gave the AL East leaders 16 wins in 20 games. Clarke Schmidt continued a six-week stretch of superb starting pitching with six shutout innings, and Anthony Volpe drove in the only run with a first-inning sacrifice fly as the Yankees (35-20) completed a three-game sweep and sent the Angels (25-30) to their fifth straight loss. A Yankees rotation that lost ace Gerrit Cole to season-ending elbow surgery and has two other starters — Luis Gil and Marcus Stroman — on the injured list has a major league-best 2.54 ERA over the last 40 games and has limited opponents to one run or less in 22 of those starts. Left-hander Ryan Yarbrough allowed one run and two hits in six innings of Monday night's 5-1 win over the Angels, left-hander Carlos Rodon gave up five hits in seven scoreless innings of Tuesday's 3-2 win, and Schmidt, a right-hander, gave up four hits in his six shutout innings Wednesday night. Left-hander Max Fried, who is 7-0 with a 1.29 ERA in 11 starts, will pitch Friday night's series opener against the Dodgers, and right-hander Will Warren, who is 3-2 with a 4.09 ERA in 11 starts, is scheduled to pitch Saturday. 'They've given us a chance to win every single night,' said Yankees reliever Mark Leiter Jr., who notched his second save with a scoreless ninth inning Wednesday night. 'Each guy is going out there and doing it a little different way, putting their own spin on it, which is great for us, because it gives them a different look for six or seven innings, and we get to do our thing with a different look for the last couple innings. You're only as good as your starting pitching, generally, and they've been great.' The NL West-leading Dodgers (34-22) have three frontline starters — Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Roki Sasaki — and four high-leverage relievers — Blake Treinen, Evan Phillips, Michael Kopech and Kirby Yates — on the injured list. But they still have plenty of star power, with Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, who have combined to win five MVP awards, plus Teoscar Hernández and Will Smith at the top of their lineup. 'Yeah, it will feel big,' Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of the matchup. 'Now, we won't go in treating it any differently, but we played the Subway Series (against the New York Mets) last week, and there was a lot of hype for that. I think these are good things for our guys to play in and experience.' The series will feature two of the best players in baseball in Judge and Ohtani, both coming off an MVP season. Judge, who has won two American League MVPs, leads the AL in batting average (.391), on-base percentage (.488), slugging percentage (.739), OPS (1.227) and hits (81). He is tied for third in the majors in home runs (18) and ranks fourth in RBIs (47). Ohtani, who has won three MVPs — his first two with the Angels in 2021 and 2023 — leads the major leagues with 20 homers and 59 runs and ranks third in OPS (1.042). He produced baseball's first 50-50 season with 54 homers and 59 stolen bases in 2024. The two-way star, who has a 38-19 record and 3.01 ERA in 86 starts over five seasons but did not pitch while recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2024, is also on track to return to the mound sometime after the All-Star break. 'I think Judge has been the best hitter in the sport now for a number of years, but what Shohei does with his speed and, when he's healthy, being an ace on the mound, and his ability to swing the bat … we haven't seen that,' Boone said. 'Ohtani, when you add in the pitching element, is just so unique, like nothing we've ever seen in this game.' Freeman, the Dodgers first baseman, hit four homers, including a walk-off grand slam in the 10th inning of Game 1, and drove in 12 runs to earn World Series MVP honors last October. Freeman's two-run single also keyed a five-run rally in the fifth inning that helped the Dodgers overcome a 5-0 deficit in their series-clinching 7-6 victory in Game 5 at Yankee Stadium. The Dodgers held Ohtani to two hits in 19 at-bats (.105) and no RBIs in the World Series, but he played the final three games with a dislocated left shoulder that was surgically repaired after the season. 'You have to execute (pitches) at a high level against him, or we're backing up bases or getting a new ball,' Boone said. 'We did a pretty good job against him in the World Series last year, but he's also hit some big homers against us.' The Yankees will have a Dodgers nemesis that they didn't have last October in veteran first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, who signed a one-year, $12.5 million deal last winter and is batting .347 with an .899 OPS, five homers and 27 RBIs in his first 55 games with the Yankees. A former Arizona Diamondbacks and St. Louis Cardinals slugger, Goldschmidt has a .283 average, .872 OPS, 35 homers and 109 RBIs in 163 career games against the Dodgers and a .308 average, .928 OPS, 19 homers and 50 RBIs in 77 games in Dodger Stadium. 'I would say he's more than an X-factor,' Boone said of Goldschmidt, who led off Wednesday night's game with a double and scored on Volpe's sacrifice fly. 'He's one of our dudes.' ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Yankees have a busload of momentum heading into World Series rematch against Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani runs after grounding out during the third inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer) New York Yankees designated hitter Aaron Judge looks on during batting practice before a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh) New York Yankees designated hitter Aaron Judge looks on during batting practice before a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh) Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani runs after grounding out during the third inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer) New York Yankees designated hitter Aaron Judge looks on during batting practice before a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh) ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees will have a good head of steam as they bus 30 miles up the 5 Freeway for their World Series rematch against the Los Angeles Dodgers this weekend. New York's 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night gave the AL East leaders 16 wins in 20 games. Advertisement Clarke Schmidt continued a six-week stretch of superb starting pitching with six shutout innings, and Anthony Volpe drove in the only run with a first-inning sacrifice fly as the Yankees (35-20) completed a three-game sweep and sent the Angels (25-30) to their fifth straight loss. A Yankees rotation that lost ace Gerrit Cole to season-ending elbow surgery and has two other starters — Luis Gil and Marcus Stroman — on the injured list has a major league-best 2.54 ERA over the last 40 games and has limited opponents to one run or less in 22 of those starts. Left-hander Ryan Yarbrough allowed one run and two hits in six innings of Monday night's 5-1 win over the Angels, left-hander Carlos Rodon gave up five hits in seven scoreless innings of Tuesday's 3-2 win, and Schmidt, a right-hander, gave up four hits in his six shutout innings Wednesday night. Left-hander Max Fried, who is 7-0 with a 1.29 ERA in 11 starts, will pitch Friday night's series opener against the Dodgers, and right-hander Will Warren, who is 3-2 with a 4.09 ERA in 11 starts, is scheduled to pitch Saturday. Advertisement 'They've given us a chance to win every single night,' said Yankees reliever Mark Leiter Jr., who notched his second save with a scoreless ninth inning Wednesday night. 'Each guy is going out there and doing it a little different way, putting their own spin on it, which is great for us, because it gives them a different look for six or seven innings, and we get to do our thing with a different look for the last couple innings. You're only as good as your starting pitching, generally, and they've been great.' The NL West-leading Dodgers (34-22) have three frontline starters — Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Roki Sasaki — and four high-leverage relievers — Blake Treinen, Evan Phillips, Michael Kopech and Kirby Yates — on the injured list. But they still have plenty of star power, with Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, who have combined to win five MVP awards, plus Teoscar Hernández and Will Smith at the top of their lineup. Advertisement 'Yeah, it will feel big,' Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of the matchup. 'Now, we won't go in treating it any differently, but we played the Subway Series (against the New York Mets) last week, and there was a lot of hype for that. I think these are good things for our guys to play in and experience.' The series will feature two of the best players in baseball in Judge and Ohtani, both coming off an MVP season. Judge, who has won two American League MVPs, leads the AL in batting average (.391), on-base percentage (.488), slugging percentage (.739), OPS (1.227) and hits (81). He is tied for third in the majors in home runs (18) and ranks fourth in RBIs (47). Ohtani, who has won three MVPs — his first two with the Angels in 2021 and 2023 — leads the major leagues with 20 homers and 59 runs and ranks third in OPS (1.042). He produced baseball's first 50-50 season with 54 homers and 59 stolen bases in 2024. Advertisement The two-way star, who has a 38-19 record and 3.01 ERA in 86 starts over five seasons but did not pitch while recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2024, is also on track to return to the mound sometime after the All-Star break. 'I think Judge has been the best hitter in the sport now for a number of years, but what Shohei does with his speed and, when he's healthy, being an ace on the mound, and his ability to swing the bat … we haven't seen that,' Boone said. 'Ohtani, when you add in the pitching element, is just so unique, like nothing we've ever seen in this game.' Freeman, the Dodgers first baseman, hit four homers, including a walk-off grand slam in the 10th inning of Game 1, and drove in 12 runs to earn World Series MVP honors last October. Advertisement Freeman's two-run single also keyed a five-run rally in the fifth inning that helped the Dodgers overcome a 5-0 deficit in their series-clinching 7-6 victory in Game 5 at Yankee Stadium. The Dodgers held Ohtani to two hits in 19 at-bats (.105) and no RBIs in the World Series, but he played the final three games with a dislocated left shoulder that was surgically repaired after the season. 'You have to execute (pitches) at a high level against him, or we're backing up bases or getting a new ball,' Boone said. 'We did a pretty good job against him in the World Series last year, but he's also hit some big homers against us.' The Yankees will have a Dodgers nemesis that they didn't have last October in veteran first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, who signed a one-year, $12.5 million deal last winter and is batting .347 with an .899 OPS, five homers and 27 RBIs in his first 55 games with the Yankees. Advertisement A former Arizona Diamondbacks and St. Louis Cardinals slugger, Goldschmidt has a .283 average, .872 OPS, 35 homers and 109 RBIs in 163 career games against the Dodgers and a .308 average, .928 OPS, 19 homers and 50 RBIs in 77 games in Dodger Stadium. 'I would say he's more than an X-factor,' Boone said of Goldschmidt, who led off Wednesday night's game with a double and scored on Volpe's sacrifice fly. 'He's one of our dudes.' ___ AP MLB:
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Yankees have a busload of momentum heading into World Series rematch against Dodgers
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees will have a good head of steam as they bus 30 miles up the 5 Freeway for their World Series rematch against the Los Angeles Dodgers this weekend. New York's 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night gave the AL East leaders 16 wins in 20 games. Clarke Schmidt continued a six-week stretch of superb starting pitching with six shutout innings, and Anthony Volpe drove in the only run with a first-inning sacrifice fly as the Yankees (35-20) completed a three-game sweep and sent the Angels (25-30) to their fifth straight loss. A Yankees rotation that lost ace Gerrit Cole to season-ending elbow surgery and has two other starters — Luis Gil and Marcus Stroman — on the injured list has a major league-best 2.54 ERA over the last 40 games and has limited opponents to one run or less in 22 of those starts. Left-hander Ryan Yarbrough allowed one run and two hits in six innings of Monday night's 5-1 win over the Angels, left-hander Carlos Rodon gave up five hits in seven scoreless innings of Tuesday's 3-2 win, and Schmidt, a right-hander, gave up four hits in his six shutout innings Wednesday night. Left-hander Max Fried, who is 7-0 with a 1.29 ERA in 11 starts, will pitch Friday night's series opener against the Dodgers, and right-hander Will Warren, who is 3-2 with a 4.09 ERA in 11 starts, is scheduled to pitch Saturday. 'They've given us a chance to win every single night,' said Yankees reliever Mark Leiter Jr., who notched his second save with a scoreless ninth inning Wednesday night. 'Each guy is going out there and doing it a little different way, putting their own spin on it, which is great for us, because it gives them a different look for six or seven innings, and we get to do our thing with a different look for the last couple innings. You're only as good as your starting pitching, generally, and they've been great.' The NL West-leading Dodgers (34-22) have three frontline starters — Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Roki Sasaki — and four high-leverage relievers — Blake Treinen, Evan Phillips, Michael Kopech and Kirby Yates — on the injured list. But they still have plenty of star power, with Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, who have combined to win five MVP awards, plus Teoscar Hernández and Will Smith at the top of their lineup. 'Yeah, it will feel big,' Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of the matchup. 'Now, we won't go in treating it any differently, but we played the Subway Series (against the New York Mets) last week, and there was a lot of hype for that. I think these are good things for our guys to play in and experience.' The series will feature two of the best players in baseball in Judge and Ohtani, both coming off an MVP season. Judge, who has won two American League MVPs, leads the AL in batting average (.391), on-base percentage (.488), slugging percentage (.739), OPS (1.227) and hits (81). He is tied for third in the majors in home runs (18) and ranks fourth in RBIs (47). Ohtani, who has won three MVPs — his first two with the Angels in 2021 and 2023 — leads the major leagues with 20 homers and 59 runs and ranks third in OPS (1.042). He produced baseball's first 50-50 season with 54 homers and 59 stolen bases in 2024. The two-way star, who has a 38-19 record and 3.01 ERA in 86 starts over five seasons but did not pitch while recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2024, is also on track to return to the mound sometime after the All-Star break. 'I think Judge has been the best hitter in the sport now for a number of years, but what Shohei does with his speed and, when he's healthy, being an ace on the mound, and his ability to swing the bat … we haven't seen that,' Boone said. 'Ohtani, when you add in the pitching element, is just so unique, like nothing we've ever seen in this game.' Freeman, the Dodgers first baseman, hit four homers, including a walk-off grand slam in the 10th inning of Game 1, and drove in 12 runs to earn World Series MVP honors last October. Freeman's two-run single also keyed a five-run rally in the fifth inning that helped the Dodgers overcome a 5-0 deficit in their series-clinching 7-6 victory in Game 5 at Yankee Stadium. The Dodgers held Ohtani to two hits in 19 at-bats (.105) and no RBIs in the World Series, but he played the final three games with a dislocated left shoulder that was surgically repaired after the season. 'You have to execute (pitches) at a high level against him, or we're backing up bases or getting a new ball,' Boone said. 'We did a pretty good job against him in the World Series last year, but he's also hit some big homers against us.' The Yankees will have a Dodgers nemesis that they didn't have last October in veteran first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, who signed a one-year, $12.5 million deal last winter and is batting .347 with an .899 OPS, five homers and 27 RBIs in his first 55 games with the Yankees. A former Arizona Diamondbacks and St. Louis Cardinals slugger, Goldschmidt has a .283 average, .872 OPS, 35 homers and 109 RBIs in 163 career games against the Dodgers and a .308 average, .928 OPS, 19 homers and 50 RBIs in 77 games in Dodger Stadium. 'I would say he's more than an X-factor,' Boone said of Goldschmidt, who led off Wednesday night's game with a double and scored on Volpe's sacrifice fly. 'He's one of our dudes.' ___ AP MLB:
