About Last Afternoon: Yankees 3, Orioles 2
- Tamar Chalker
- Sep 29
- 3 min read
About Last Afternoon: Yankees 3, Orioles 2
By Tamar Chalker
September 29, 2025
***
The last afternoon of the regular season was an exciting one in the American League, with four games playing at the same time with playoff implications. Unfortunately, for the Yankees, the Tampa Bay Rays decided they weren't going to put up much of a fight against Toronto, sitting some of their best players. Some thanks for letting them play at George Steinbrenner Field all season! (I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Mostly.) While the Yankees pulled off their eighth straight victory, Toronto's victory over Tampa sealed the Blue Jays as the AL East Champs.
Quick Stats -
Luis Gil made the start and went five innings and got two Ks. He gave up two runs on three hits and two walks.
Ben Rice went 2-4 with two solo homers.
Devin Williams got the win, throwing a scoreless eighth.
David Bednar picked up the save. He pitched a scoreless ninth and had two Ks.
Player(s) of the Game -
Ben Rice. He got the offense started with his first inning homer and then came through with another in the eighth to set the Yankees up for the win. On top of his offense, Rice showed some nice defense at first. It wasn't always pretty, but he put in a solid performance all around.
Notable Performances -
The Bullpen allowed just two hits over four innings. Fernando Cruz, Luke Weaver, Williams, and Bednar each pitched a scoreless inning, keeping the Yankees in the game. Weaver and Bednar each notched a pair of strikeouts.
Better to Forget -
Austin Wells had a tough day at the plate, going 0-3 and striking out all three times. He did gun down Dylan Beavers trying to swipe second in the third, however.
My Take
It was too bad that Tampa didn't give Toronto more of a challenge, but so it goes.
Personally, I would rather head into the playoffs on an exciting win like yesterday's than the Blue Jays' slugfest. I feel like the Yankees are mentally already in playoff mode and that victory will be a great one to keep building on.
Rice brought the power, but Aaron Judge, Clay Bellinger, and Giancarlo Stanton hit three consecutive singles for the Yankees' second run of the game. I love seeing them come through without the long ball as well.
Jazz Chisholm, Jr. came off the bench and pinch hit in the seventh. He struck out and then had a bit of a bonehead error in the ninth, but it was still good to see he is well enough to play. Hopefully he will be close to full strength for the upcoming series with the Red Sox.
There were actually a lot of good defensive plays in Sunday's game. For example, Cruz saved the game in the sixth when he rushed in on a dribbler and underhanded it to Wells to get the Orioles' runner at the plate.
This team has a real chance to make a deep run in the playoffs. Their offense is the best in baseball and their pitching has come a long way from the start of the season. While they may have had their struggles with Boston this year, I'm feeling optimistic about their chances now. Granted, this might also just be coming from a place of self-preservation as I continue to be stuck deep in Red Sox country...
Next Up -
THE PLAYOFFS! The Yankees have today off, but will be facing off against their AL East Rivals, the Boston Red Sox, tomorrow. Let's go Yankees!
94 wins in back to back seasons is impressive, and all involved in last winter reshaping of roster should be recognized. They spread the soto money into 3 key players and it produced.
On the other side of town?
Over in Boston, they moved their best hitter, gained financial flexibility, fans freaked out, and they proved that they were right in doing so.
Cora vs Boone is always a challenge.
3 game series are unpredictable.
Personally, I don't like the format. I think its unfair for boston, cinci, detroit and san diego to not have a single home game. Their fans should be rewarded with a game. But, in baseball, regardless of who has home field, pitching will decide.
An…
The Yankees are in the AL East bracket of the playoffs - first would be the BoSox, then that team that has an entire country rooting for it, the Toronto Blue Jays. But with how gawd awful he was in 3 GS against the Sox, I'm leaving Warren off the WC roster.
Ben Rice has shown decent defense at both catcher and at 1B. I still think he needs to be the starting 1B and the 3rd string catcher next year. Hopefully both Austin Wells and Anthony Volpe will get healthy this off season. I don't know if Volpe is viewed anymore as anything more than a placeholder at SS for GLJ, Kilby, or another one of the drafted k…