About Last Afternoon: Yankees 6, Orioles 1

About Last Afternoon: Yankees 6, Orioles 1

By Tamar Chalker

September 28, 2025

***

With just one game left in the regular season, the Yankees continue to stay locked in a battle with Toronto for the top of the AL East.

A superb start by Cam Schlittler combined with another day of big hits from Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton gave the Yankees the resounding 6-1 victory over the Orioles.

Quick Stats - 

Cam Schlittler went 7 innings and gave up two hits and one walk. He struck out nine and earned the win.

Paul Blackburn threw the last two innings, allowing the lone Baltimore run on a solo shot in the eighth. It was the only hit he allowed, as he struck out three.

Judge, Stanton, and Ryan McMahon each hit homers in Saturday's game. The Yankees' offense was fairly efficient, picking up six runs on seven hits.

Player(s) of the Game - 

Schlittler has closed out the 2025 regular season on a high note. His 9 Ks were the most he has had in an outing all years and his ERA dropped below three with a 2.96. As the Yankees look to stay hot in the playoffs, Schlitller is likely to be a key piece of their success.

Notable Performances -

Stanton and McMahon each went 2-3 with a home run, while Judge went 2-4 with three RBIs along with his homer.  

Better to Forget - 

Paul Goldschmidt went 0-4 with a strikeout. 

My Take 

• Not that it mattered in the outcome of the game, but Jasson Dominguez was safe when he pinch ran for Stanton in the eighth and stole second. I don't know how the umpires got it wrong on the review. 

• The Yankees are riding a seven game winning streak, which is both a good sign as they head towards the post-season and much needed as they try to take the AL East crown. Of course, they are probably going to need to get that in streak to eight if they are going to do that. Toronto owns the tie-breaker and they also won yesterday. That being said, I think their chances are still pretty good.

• I think Judge and Stanton are still going to have to lead the way on offense, but it feels like their success is rubbing off on others. I don't think this is a team that rests on the power of their big hitters, like other recent Yankee lineups have. I think the consistency we are seeing from Judge and Stanton this season helps the Yankees always have a chance to do something and gives the rest of the lineup the confidence to build on it. I believe that confidence also allows those players to turn up in kind on those rare off-days for Judge and Stanton. 

• I'm feeling a lot more confident about this team than I did about a month ago - should I be concerned?

  
  

Next Up - 

The Yankees will host the Orioles for the final game of the 2025 regular season today. Luis Gil will take the ball for the Yankees. He is 4-1 with a 3.29 ERA and 39 Ks in his 10 games this season. The Orioles are sending Kyle Bradish, who will be making his sixth MLB start of 2025. He is 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA. He gave up on earned run in six innings when he saw the Yankees last week. First pitch is at 3:05pm in the Bronx, while Toronto and Tampa Bay kick off at 3:07pm, so get ready for an exciting afternoon of AL East baseball!