About Last Night: Yankees 12, Padres 3

About Last Night: Yankees 12, Padres 3

By Derek McAdam

May 7, 2025

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The New York Yankees defeated the San Diego Padres last night by a score of 12-3, balancing the series up at one game each. Here’s a recap of last night’s game.

Quick Stats:

W: Fernando Cruz (1-0): 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K               

L: Adrian Morejon (1-1): 0.1 IP, 3 H, 4 ER              

HRs: NYY: Aaron Judge (12), Austin Wells (7)

The Yankees’ 10 runs in the 7th was the first time they scored double-digit runs in a single inning since July 2015.

The Big Story:

The Yankees were coming off a brutal loss on Monday night, a game in which Carlos Rodon gave the Yankees another solid outing. However, it was also another struggling performance from Devin Williams, who did not take the loss but who put the Padres the position to win.

Last night, both teams had opportunities early in the game. The Padres had runners on second and third with two outs and failed to score, while the Yankees had a runner on second with one out and could not get the run across.

In the 4th, Clarke Schmidt loaded the bases with a couple of leadoffs hits and a walk. With Jason Heyward at bat, Manny Machado then scored on a balk to give the Padres a 1-0 lead. During the same at-bat, Heyward hit a sacrifice fly into left-center field to score Jackson Merrill, giving the Padres a 2-0 lead.

In the bottom of the inning, Aaron Judge hit a solo home run into the right field seats to cut the Padres’ lead in half, making the new score 2-1. After Cody Bellinger walked, Jasson Dominguez hit a bullet into the gap. However, an error from Fernando Tatis Jr. allowed Bellinger to score and the game was tied at 2-2.

Despite not being 100% on his game, Schmidt gave the Yankees a quality start in going six innings and only giving up two runs.

In the 7th, Tim Hill came on and give up a couple of hits. After recording just one out, Cruz came in and recorded the first out before giving up an RBI double to Tatis, giving the Padres a 3-2 lead.

But in the bottom of the inning, the Yankees threatened early. Dominguez led off with a double, followed by a single from Anthony Volpe to put runners at the corners with no one out. Austin Wells ripped a single into right field to score Dominguez and tie the game at 3-3. With the bases loaded and one out, Trent Grisham walked on four pitches against former Yankee Wandy Peralta to give the Yankees their first lead of the night at 4-3. Ben Rice then came through with a two-run double to give the Yankees a 6-3 lead.

In the same inning, with the bases loaded, Bellinger ripped an RBI single into right field to extend the Yankees’ lead to 7-3. After Dominguez flied out, Volpe hit an RBI single to give the Yankees another run and extend the lead to 8-3. But the ultimate hit came from Wells, who sent a grand slam into the right field seats the bust the game open at 12-3.

Player of the Game:

Austin Wells had a couple of big hits in the 7th, including the ultimate dagger that gave the Yankees the win.

Notable Performances:

Clarke Schmidt pitched, arguably, his best game of the season and gave the Yankees another quality start from a starting pitcher this series. Dominguez also reached base multiple times, while Judge continues to find a way to reach base, having done so in 32 straight games.

Better to Forget:

The Padres’ bullpen definitely wants to forget this game. They gave up a season-high 10 runs in the 7th inning, which was bizarre coming from one of the best bullpens in the league.

My Take:

This was a great comeback victory for the Yankees, one that they truly needed after being in an offensive slump for several games. But it all started, once again, with the starting pitching.

Schmidt did not have his best stuff, but he was able to work efficiently and get several quick outs. He also got a couple of double plays to help him end some innings, as well. But for Schmidt, and Yankee fans, this has to be an encouraging sign. The Yankees can definitely use a reliable third starter in the rotation, and this is a nice start to build upon for Schmidt.

The Yankees have been carried offensively this season by Judge, but tonight, some other players were able to also contribute. This was nice to see, considering the offense has been relatively slumping over the past week or so. And not only were other players contributing, but they were coming from the middle and bottom of the lineup, which has definitely been a weak point as of late.

The Padres have, arguably, the best bullpen in the entire league right now. But the Yankees had no trouble against the two left-handed relievers called on in the 7th. In fact, besides Oswaldo Cabrera’s pop-out on a bunt, I don’t remember seeing a poor at-bat from any Yankee in that inning. The end result was either a hit, walk, or a relatively lengthy at-bat. It was a very entertaining inning to watch, and by far one of the best I have seen in a very long time.

Overall, this was a nice bounce back win for the Yankees, and they will carry the momentum in tonight’s rubber game. It is going to be an interesting pitching matchup, especially from two pitchers who are having polar opposite seasons.

What’s Next?:

The Yankees will face the Padres for the final time tonight before they enjoy an off-day tomorrow and hit the road out west. Dylan Cease is scheduled to start for the Padres, while Max Fried is set to go for the Yankees. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. from Yankee Stadium.