About Last Night: AZ 4, NYY 3

By Ethan Semendinger

April 3rd, 2025

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It was a cold and drizzly night in the Bronx...and then it was almost a great come-back. Darn.

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Quick Stats -

• Winning Pitcher: Zac Gallen (1-1, 3.38 ERA)

• Losing Pitcher: Carlos Rodon (1-1, 3.97 ERA)

• Save: A.J. Puk (2)

• Home Runs (Arizona): Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (2)

• Home Runs (New York): Anthony Volpe (4)

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Big Story - The season is going strong early for the Yankees, as they have taken 3 of their first 4 games this season, including a 3-game opening weekend sweep against the Milwaukee Brewers. And, those games were talked about A LOT. If you asked me a week ago what a torpedo bat is, I'd have no answer for you. But, now, I'm an expert at baseball bat physics and wood distribution mathematics, based on how much I've had to hear about and talk about the Yankees lumber at work and online.

However, going into this game, the Yankees are coming off of a tough early season loss, stemming from an 8th inning go-ahead grand slam by Eugenio Suarez. Everything is a small sample size right now, but this game will be an important one in showing the fight that this lineup has.

Carlos Rodon is on the bump, and the Yankees have their best line-up out there. Let's go!

Here was the Yankees line-up for last night:

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Player(s) of the Game -

• Anthony Volpe: 1-4, Run, 3-Run Home Run, 1 K

Notable Performances -

• Austin Wells: 2-4, Double, 0 K's

• Yoendrys Gomez: 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB's, 1 K

Better to Forget -

• Carlos Rodon: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 4 R (4 ER), 4 BB's, 5 K's

• Aaron Judge: 1-4, 3 K's

• Paul Goldschimdt: 0-4, 2 K's

• Jasson Dominguez: 0-4, 3 K's

• Ben Rice: 0-3, 3 K's

• Oswaldo Cabrera: 0-2, 2 K's

Note: The Yankees did not work a single walk in last night's game, and gave up 7.

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The Game - A small sample of some player-by-player accounts to explain the game:

Carlos Rodon: One concern I have whenever I watch Carlos Rodon pitch, is that I'm never 100% comfortable going into the game. While Rodon has had many great games as a Yankee, he's also had a fair amount of stinkers. Tonight's game started out like that for Rodon, who allowed a 1st inning 2-run home run to Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and then a 2nd inning sacrifice fly by Geraldo Perdomo, and an RBI single by Ketel Marte. During these two innings, Rodon looked incredibly uncomfortable himself on the mound! He was constantly looking at the mounds surface, he had a temporary bout with some arm trouble (!?), his pitch-com broke, and that doesn't even feel like all of it. He was shaky from the start, and it showed.

Rodon would settle down and pitch a perfect 4-5-6 (after walking two runners on in the 3rd), but the damage was already done. Not a great performance. The Yankees will need a lot better from him as the co-ace of the staff with Max Fried.

Aaron Judge: It amazes me that, even after Judge has won 2 MVP awards and has been in the MLB for 10 seasons, he still gets screwed with the below-the-zone strike call. How is it that umpires have not been able to adjust to him? This is something the MLB should've fixed years ago, and it baffles me that Judge doesn't lose his cool day after day. (Good on him.) However, he still struck out 3 times. And, when Judge does that, the rest of the Yankees need to step-up. So, did they?

Jasson Dominguez, Ben Rice, Oswaldo Cabrera, & Paul Goldschmidt: These four guys did not step up. They combined to go 0-13 with 10 strikeouts...my goodness. There is a reason this game got old quickly. (Credit to Zac Gallen for shutting down the line-up early and often to total 13 strikeouts in 6.2 innings of work.)

Yoendrys Gomez: This game was not a blow-out by any means, and the Yankees went to, and continued to keep, Yoendrys Gomez out there. And, it worked, extremely well. Gomez did walk a batter an inning, but he didn't allow the Diamondbacks to continue to do damage, and he kept the Yankees in the game over multiple innings of work through the 7th, 8th, and 9th. Small sample? Sure. But, if this is the guy Gomez is, that's an incredibly valuable piece the Yankees have in a multi-inning reliever. Good stuff!

Anthony Volpe: At least Volpe rewarded me for watching this entire game at the very end with his 4th home run on the season. Unfortunately, the Yankees came up just a little short at the end, even with Volpe's 3-run porch-job in the 9th inning. He's the guy I'm most interested in watching this year. It seems like he's going to be the break-out star for the Yankees, especially after he put together a very good offensive performance in the postseason last year. So far, he's showing the power he needs- which is great- but, he does need to bring his average up. Ultimately, if he and Jazz Chisholm can combine to each be .275 AVG/30 HR guys with great defense up the middle of the infield, the Yankees will be in a great spot.

Last Notes: The Yankees lost it early, didn't have any answers to Zac Gallen, and then came alive just a little too late to make this a great game. Baseball is very much a team sport, and it showed tonight. When only one guy (or two, if you count Gomez) really steps up, it's very hard to win.

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Next Up - The Yankees will finish their 3 game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks tomorrow at 7:05 PM (EDT), in a game that will also end their season-opening homestand. The Yankees will send Carlos "Cookie" Carrasco (0-0, 13.50 ERA) to the mound against Merrill Kelly (1-0, 1.69 ERA) for the rubber game, before they head out to Pittsburgh to begin a 6-game, 2-team road trip.