The Yankees wrapped up their series against the Rays with a commanding 4–0, powered by a dominant start from Max Fried and a barrage of home runs—but the game didn’t come without drama. With the win on Sunday, New York took three of four in the series, marking their second straight series victory.
Fried Flirts with History
Fried was nothing short of brilliant, firing 7.2 scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and a couple of walks. He appeared to be on his way to a no-hitter, but in the middle of the eighth inning, the official scorer reversed a sixth-inning error—ruling it a hit instead—which abruptly ended the bid. The change stirred up plenty of conversation, especially given how sharp Fried looked all game long. He now holds a 1.42 ERA and continues to show why the Yankees made him a priority addition.
Early Fireworks at the Plate
On offense, New York wasted no time. Trent Grisham led off the game with his sixth homer of the year, launching one to give the Yanks an early edge. Cody Bellinger followed with a solo blast of his own in the sixth, and Austin Wells tacked on another in the ninth to put the game on ice. The entire Yankees lineup contributed, with every hitter recording at least one hit—except for Jazz Chisholm.
Grish Leadoff Launch 🚀 pic.twitter.com/wKCyPmKAkV
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 20, 2025
Controversy in the Eighth
The biggest moment of tension came in the bottom of the eighth, when Judge crushed a towering shot deep over the left-field wall and onto the concourse—but it was ruled foul. The umpires sent the play to New York for review, and despite what looked like a clearly fair ball to many including Manager Aaron Boone, the call stood. Moments later, Judge was called out on strikes and Aaron Boone let the umpires hear it—leading to his ejection. Aaron Boone told reporters postgame, “The audacity of the call standing is remarkable.”
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— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) April 20, 2025
Judge and Goldschmidt Keep Raking
Still, Judge’s consistency remains elite. He now has a hit in 18 of the team’s 22 games and has reached base in 21 of them, extending his on-base streak to 18 straight games. He continues to lead all of Major League Baseball in batting average (.390), RBIs (25), on-base percentage (.495), and OPS (1.202). Paul Goldschmidt—who has consistently batted in the cleanup spot—reached base yet again and now has done so in 17 of 22 games, with hits in 16 of them. He’s currently tied for second in the league in batting average (.361), just behind Judge and tied with Rays infielder Jonathan Aranda.
Cruz Cruises to Second Save
Even with the drama, the Yankees kept rolling. Fernando Cruz closed it out with a clean ninth for his second save.
Games 1, 2, and 3
Game 1:
Yankees 6, Rays 3
Win: Tim Hill
Recap:
Game 2:
Yankees 1, Rays 0
Win: Carlos Rodon
Recap:
Game 3:
Rays 10, Yankees 8
Loss: Yoendrys Gomez
Looking Ahead
The win pushes New York to 13–8 as they head into a three-game set against the Guardians. Clarke Schmidt is slated to make his second start of the season in the series opener. Following their pit-stop in Cleveland, they’ll have their first day off in a two-week stretch before hosting Toronto back in the Bronx. Bottom of Form
