About Last Night: NYY 7, TB 5
- Paul Semendinger
- Jul 30
- 4 min read
by Paul Semendinger
July 30, 2025
***
The Yankees hung on and defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 7-5 last night.
Quick Stats:
Max Fried: 6.2 innings, career high 111 pitches, 9 strikeouts, WIN
Devin Williams: 1.0 innings, 1 run, SAVE
Anthony Volpe - 2 errors, no player in the Major Leagues has more errors than Volpe
Cody Bellinger: 3-run homer
Anthony Volpe: Solo homer (longest homer of his career)
Quick Game Highlights:
The Rays jumped out to a 2-0 first inning lead. They increased the lead to 3-0 in the third, but the game changed when Cody Bellinger hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the third to tie the game at 3-3.
The Yankees ran to the lead in the fourth. Jasson Dominguez singled, stole second, went to third on a fly out, and scored on an Anthony Volpe single. Volpe scored later on an error. The Yankees would get one more run that inning.
Max Fried pitched his heart out throwing more pitches in this game than any in his entire career. He lasted into the seventh inning. He left with the Yanks up 6-4.
The Yankees earned their seventh run in the bottom of the eighth inning on an Anthony Volpe homer.
The Rays scored a run in the top of the ninth. They had the tying run at the plate, and even the go-ahead run at the plate, in the late innings, but the Yankees' bullpen of Jonathan Loaisiga (8th) and Devin Williams (9th) held them off, if barely.
Player of the Game:
Max Fried
My Thoughts (and Other Observations):
The homeplate umpire was erratic (at best) last night. This happens. It's never fun to watch poor umpiring. But I do notice that the more the Yankees lose, the more Aaron Boone seems to yell at the umpires, as if he blames the umpires for his team losing.
Cody Bellinger has been a delight on this team. I wanted the Yankees to get him for a few years. He has exceeded my expectations. That being said, I still would be reluctant to give him a big contract if he opts out. When he's at the top of his game, he is a top player, but he's had too many years when he hasn't been as good.
Fans tend to fall in love with a player in the immediacy of the moment expecting that he'll always be performing at a high level. This is what happened with D.J. LeMahieu. Many said, "He's the machine, they have to keep him." They shouldn't have. When Matt Carpenter was a Yankee, there were tons of comments stating that the Yankees needed to keep him. "He's so good." My fear with Bellinger, as much as I like him, is that he won't be a top player for most of whatever contract he gets. His career has been too up-and-down to go long term with him. It's also funny that many of the people who are saying that he must be resigned are the same ones who said that the contract the Yankees gave him for this, and maybe next year, wasn't a good one. "They might be stuck with him for two years," they said over the winter. Now many of them want to give him four or five years.
I loved that Max Fried went a career high of 111 pitches. This is what the ace needs to do. The Yankees' bullpen has been a disaster, he did his best to limit how many outs they would have to get. That was a great job by Fried. Even though his 111`th pitch resulted in an rbi double, I was glad to see Aaron Boone giving Fried the chance to pitch out of the inning.
I have been up to my ears with writing work. My first book on the Battle of Gettysburg is nearing it's final stages in the publishing process. I have another book that is taking a ton of time. And, one other. I keep busy writing. More on all this in the weeks and months ahead. All of this takes a tremendous amount of time. It's all great - and the books will be great!
Many people in the comments have expressed thanks to me and my writers for this site and the work we put in to give this place for so many to visit and read and talk about the Yankees. Thank you for the kind words. I don't think many understand the amount of work that goes into delivering this product to all of you on a daily basis.
Michael Kay used a phrase not often used, but much better regarding how the game transpired after Cody Bellinger's home run. He stated that the "home run changed the tenor of the game." Yes, it did. It didn't give any "momentum " (and that word was not used), but it did change the game.
In the fourth inning, the Yankees created a few runs. That was great. The question I have is why don't they do that type of aggressive base running more often?
The trade deadline is two days away. The Yankees will have to make a bunch of big and amazing deals to become true contenders. The team, as currently constructed, simply is not championship quality. Beginning at 10:00 a.m., Ethan will have wall-to-wall coverage here on Thursday reporing on the trades and rumors and more.
Next Up:
The series continues tonight in yet another game on some streaming service. Will Warren will pitch for the Yankees. The game that many won't see begins at 7:05 p.m.
***
The front graphic was created by Copilot.
Comparing Bellinger to DJL is apples to oranges.
Paul: I had no idea you were wrting a book on the Battle of Gettsyburg. I too am a Civil War historian of sorts and am proud to say I have an extensive Civil War library including "Lee's Lieutenants," Shelby Foote's 3 volume Civil War, several books by Bruce Catton, and dozens of others, including many 1st editions including a 1st edition of Bruce Catton's "This Hallowed Ground." Right now I am reading US Grant's personal memoirs which he wrote while dying of throat cancer at Mount MacGregor, NY. (Stay off the cigars, Doctor's orders). Good luck with the book and I will look for it when it's published.
the Yankees have been playing badly and yet STILL are most definitely contenders to win the AL East and the AL.
as battered, tattered and flaws as they are, as utterly imperfect and ragged
they are not really much worse than the rest of the field.
as for Bellinger, what's a big contract?
I would not offer Bellinger a 15-year, $750M deal
I would certainly offer him a 6-year, $90M one.
some wise man has so often reminded us that the Yankees make a whole lot of money and can well afford to spend it on players.
Bellinger does get injured when he gets injured. Bellinger will certainly age.
but Bellinger has a fine and complete set of tools in…
Next 48 hours should be interesting. I wouldn't mind seeing Griffin Jax aquired from twins to get some key outs late in games.
In order to do anything in October, the Yankees are going to have to get hot then. Do they have it in them? Honestly, I do not know.
Cashman overpaid when he finally re-signed DJ after 2020. No one wanted to give him the money he wanted. I said at the time, even George wouldn't have done that deal - he never negotiated against himself. I have my offer for a Cody Bellinger extension. It's 4 years, $117M. I do believe that is a very fair offer. It's not a Home discount, nor am I blowing him away to keep him here. Now, the biggest problem will be his agent, Scott Boras. Remember, if we believe the reports, the Y…