Every year around the holidays, I like to look back on the Yankees season through the lens of the Twelve Days of Christmas — a tradition that’s become my favorite way to relive the moments that made the year memorable. While the 2025 season didn’t end the way we hoped, it was packed with milestones, breakout performances, and historic moments that deserve to be celebrated. From Opening Day history to October heroics, the Yankees gave us plenty to sing about. So as the holidays arrive, here’s my annual Twelve Days of a New York Yankees Christmas — a festive look back at the moments that defined the season.
On the first day of Christmas…
Austin Wells made history on March 27, 2025, becoming the first catcher in MLB history to hit a leadoff home run on Opening Day. The blast came against the Milwaukee Brewers and gave the Yankees an immediate 1–0 lead in what would become a 4–2 victory. Wells also became the first catcher in Yankees franchise history to homer from the leadoff spot.
On the second day of Christmas…
On the second game of the season, the Bombers delivered a historic power display in a 20–9 win over the Brewers, setting a franchise record with nine home runs. Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger, and Aaron Judge opened the game with back-to-back-to-back homers on the first three pitches, marking the first time in Yankees history that feat was accomplished to start a game — and the trio of former MVPs made New York just the second team ever to hit three consecutive homers by MVP winners at any point in a game. Austin Wells homered two outs later, sealing the first four-home-run first inning in franchise history. Judge capped the day with three homers, tying Alex Rodriguez and Joe DiMaggio for second-most three-homer games in Yankees history, as the Yankees’ nine blasts tied for the second-most in an MLB game. The Yankees also set a record for most home runs (11) by any team through its first two games of a season.
On the third day of Christmas…
Jazz Chisholm delivered a breakout first full season in pinstripes, becoming just the third player in Yankees franchise history to record a 30–30 season. He injected the lineup with speed, power, and nonstop energy, finishing the year with a .242/.332/.481 slash line, 31 home runs, 80 RBIs, and 31 stolen bases, numbers that earned him his first career Silver Slugger Award. Chisholm also set personal bests in runs scored and walks, while his athletic defense and aggressive style made him one of the Yankees’ most impactful all-around players.
On the fourth day of Christmas…
Max Fried made an immediate impact in his first season in pinstripes, earning the AL Gold Glove for pitchers — the fourth of his career and his first in the Bronx. Fried led all MLB pitchers with 10 Defensive Runs Saved per FanGraphs, paired with 39 assists and seven pickoffs. Fried, who slotted into the Yankees’ ace role in Gerrit Cole’s stead, finished the season with an MLB-best 19 wins, a 2.86 ERA, and 189 strikeouts, earning All-Star honors and a spot on the All-MLB First Team. In doing so, he joined an exclusive group of Yankees pitchers, becoming the fourth in franchise history to win a Gold Glove, alongside Ron Guidry, Mike Mussina, and Bobby Shantz.
On the fifth day of Christmas…
On the Fifth Day of Christmas, what didn’t Aaron Judge do this year? So much, we could find something to tie him to each of the Twelve Days of Christmas. Judge became just the fifth player of the Expansion Era to lead all of MLB in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage in the same season — the first to do so since Miguel Cabrera in 2013. That historic dominance powered him to his third American League MVP in four years, placing him alongside Yankees legends Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, and Mickey Mantle as the only Bombers to win three or more MVPs. Despite a brief stint on the injured list, Judge delivered one of the most dominant seasons of his career, slashing .331/.457/.688 with 53 home runs, 114 RBIs, a 1.144 OPS, and an MLB-best 10.1 fWAR. He captured his first batting title, set a new AL record with 36 intentional walks, won his second consecutive Hank Aaron Award, earned All-MLB First Team honors, and claimed his fourth Silver Slugger, tying multiple Yankees legends for the most in franchise history — capping a season that stands among the most unforgettable in Yankees lore.
On the sixth day of Christmas…
Because one day simply wasn’t enough for Aaron Judge. The Yankees’ captain authored one of the most dominant postseason performances in MLB history, hitting .600 in the ALDS while recording multiple hits in every game — a feat accomplished only once before, by Babe Ruth in the 1928 World Series. Judge went 9-for-15 with a home run, six RBIs, and a staggering 1.617 OPS, carrying the Yankees’ offense with clutch, relentless production as the rest of the lineup searched for answers. In doing so, Judge silenced postseason critics and etched his name alongside Ruth, becoming just the second player ever to hit .600 or better with multiple hits in every game of a multi-game playoff series — another reminder that baseball fans were watching history unfold with Aaron Judge this year.
On the seventh day of Christmas…
New York was crowned the AL Offensive Team of the Year, finishing atop the league in home runs, runs scored, RBIs, walks, slugging percentage, and OPS, a testament to the depth and relentlessness of the lineup. The Bombers featured seven players with 20+ home runs, led by Aaron Judge and joined by Trent Grisham (34), Jazz Chisholm (31), Cody Bellinger (29), Ben Rice (26), Giancarlo Stanton (24), and Austin Wells (21). Anthony Volpe narrowly missed making it eight, finishing just one homer shy at 19.
On the eighth day of Christmas…
On a late-September night, José Caballero etched his name into pinstriped history. After entering the game in the eighth inning as a pinch-runner for Ben Rice, Caballero battled through a grueling nine-pitch at-bat in the bottom of the ninth and delivered his first career walk-off hit, a clutch single that brought home Aaron Judge and sealed a 3–2 win over the White Sox. The swing clinched the Yankees’ 60th postseason berth in franchise history, igniting the crowd and cementing Caballero’s moment as one of the season’s most unforgettable.
On the ninth day of Christmas
As part of nine total team grand slams in 2025 — just one shy of the franchise record — the Yankees showcased their knack for delivering in the biggest moments. During a remarkable seven-day stretch in May, Austin Wells, Jasson Domínguez, and Ben Rice each launched the first grand slam of their careers.
On the tenth day of Christmas
On September 21 in Baltimore, Ben Rice turned in one of the most dominant performances of the Yankees’ season. He went 4-for-5 with five RBIs, punctuating the night with a go-ahead grand slam in the top of the tenth inning to power the Yankees to a 7–1 victory in their final road game of the regular season. Rice was at the heart of nearly every scoring moment, delivering a breakout performance that highlighted his growing impact in the middle of the Yankees’ lineup.
On the eleventh day of Christmas
In the eleventh year of his career, Carlos Rodón delivered the most complete season of his time in pinstripes. In his third year with the Yankees, Rodón posted a career-high 18 wins, tying Garrett Crochet for second-most in MLB and trailing only teammate Max Fried’s 19. He paired that success with a 3.09 ERA and finished tied for fifth in the league with 203 strikeouts, anchoring the rotation with durability and dominance, especially in the ace Gerrit Cole’s absence.
On the twelfth day of Christmas
In Game 3 of the 2025 AL Wild Card Series, Cam Schlittler delivered one of the most dominant postseason performances in franchise history, silencing the Boston Red Sox when it mattered most. The Yankees rookie fired eight scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts and zero walks, becoming the first pitcher ever to post that stat line in an elimination game and setting a Yankees rookie playoff record in the process. The Massachusetts native embraced the rivalry and online chirps for fuel, overpowering Boston with a fastball that touched 101 mph even into the eighth inning and putting an emphatic end to the series. In a rivalry defined by moments, Schlittler created one of his own — eliminating the Red Sox and sending the Yankees marching on to the ALDS.
A Pinstriped Bow on 2025
With that, the curtain closes on the 2025 Yankees season — a year that didn’t end the way we dreamed, but one that gave us plenty of moments worth celebrating along the way. As we turn the page to the holidays and the offseason ahead, here’s hoping Santa has a few surprises wrapped in a big pinstriped bow waiting under the tree. Not to name names… but if Cody Bellinger, Tatsuya Imai, or a few bullpen arms happen to be on that list, Yankees fans certainly wouldn’t complain. Until then, happy holidays — and here’s to what’s next in the Bronx. 🎄⚾
