For the first time since clinching the 2024 ALCS on Kansas City soil, the Yankees returned to Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday night—and once again, they made themselves at home. Behind a dominant outing from Max Fried and a jaw-dropping blast from Aaron Judge, the Yankees opened their six-game road trip with a convincing 6–1 win over the Royals.
Fried Keeps Sizzling
There’s dominant, and then there’s Max Fried.
The left-hander continued his scorching start to the 2025 campaign by tossing 7 innings of two-run ball, allowing just six hits with no walks and four strikeouts.
Now 9-1 with a 1.84 ERA, Fried is putting together one of the best first-half pitching stretches in Yankees history. His 1.84 ERA is the third-lowest by a Yankee through his first 14 starts with the team since the mound was lowered in 1969 behind Ron Guidry (1.45 in 1978) and Phil Niekro (1.77 in 1984).
Fried now owns a 21-3 career record against American League opponents, and has held opponents to 2 earned runs or fewer in 13 of his 14 starts this season. The Yankees are now 12-2 when he starts.
He leads the league with nine wins and holds the fifth best ERA across all 30 teams.
All Rise: KC Court is Now in Session
Aaron Judge didn’t just add to his MVP résumé—he added to the Kansas City skyline.
The Yankees captain crushed a 469-foot home run to deep left field in the top of the first, marking his 24th of the season and the seventh-longest of his career. It’s also the tenth time Judge has hit a home run in the first inning this season, the Yankee’s 21st overall. Judge has now homered 75 times in the first inning of games in his career—fourth-most in Yankees history behind only Ruth, Mantle, and Gehrig.
But his value goes well beyond the long ball. Judge leads the majors in batting average (.396), on-base percentage (.491), slugging (.776), and OPS (1.267). His 190 total bases through the Yankees’ first 65 games are the most by a Yankee since Mickey Mantle in 1956.
With Tuesday’s performance, Judge has now reached base in all 32 road games this season and extended his on-base streak on the road to 53 games, the fifth-longest in franchise history.
Bats Back the Ace
Austin Wells—who is slashing .348/.423/.696 in his last seven games— continued his recent resurgence with a clutch 2-run home run in the top of the sixth, and Cody Bellinger tallied his 1,000th career hit with an RBI single, adding to a milestone-filled evening. The Yankees offense, which leads the league in home runs, OBP, and OPS, flexed its muscle again, scoring five runs or more for the 24th time this season. New York is now 23-7 in those games.
Stanton Shines in Somerset
While the big league club took care of business in Kansas City, Giancarlo Stanton began his rehab assignment with the Double-A Somerset Patriots—and wasted no time making noise. In his first game back since suffering “tennis elbow in both elbows,” Stanton went 2-for-3 with a walk and 3 RBI, flashing both patience and power.
If his performance is any indication, Stanton could soon rejoin an already potent lineup that has helped power the Yankees to a 40-25 record—second-best in the American League and third-best in the majors.
Looking Ahead
The Yankees have now won eight of their last 11 series, and they’ll look to clinch another on Wednesday with Clarke Schmidt set to take the ball. With momentum on their side and their ace dealing, the Bronx Bombers are rolling—and reminding Kansas City exactly how last October went down. Following a three-game set in Kansas City, the Yankees will meet back up with Boston for the second weekend in a row, this time in the Bean Town.
