About Yesterday: The Yankees Climbed Over the Rockies 5-4

About Yesterday: The Yankees Climbed Over the Rockies 5-4

By Tim Kabel

May 26, 2025

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The Yankees went into Colorado with the second-best record in the American League. They were facing the Rockies who had won only eight games out of their first fifty games. After dropping the first game on Friday night, the Yankees managed to win the series. That was in doubt for a little while yesterday, but they held off a rally by the Rockies and won the game 5-4. The Yankees won their sixth consecutive series and prevented the Rockies from winning their first series of the season. Losing a series to the Rockies would have been tough to live down.

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Quick Stats – 

·       Aaron Judge has reached base in 49 of 52 games this year.

·       Will Warren allowed two earned runs over four innings, as the lengthy rain delay prevented him from returning. He has given up three earned runs or fewer in nine of his eleven starts this season.  

·       Antonio Senzatela leads the Major Leagues in losses. My mother would say, “It’s good to be the best at something”. 

·       The Yankees have won 13 of their last 17 games. 

·       J.C. Escarra had his first three-hit game in the Major Leagues.

·       On May 25th, 1922, Babe Ruth was stripped of the captaincy of the New York Yankees just five days after being named to the role. He was suspended and fined $200 after throwing dirt in an umpire's face and confronting a heckler in the stands after being thrown out at second base. That's eerily similar to my career as bus monitor in the 6th grade.

Big Story – 

Yesterday's game was not pretty. For a moment, it looked like the Yankees might blow the game and become the first team to lose a series to Colorado this season. It didn't happen This was a game the Yankees should have won, and they did. That's what championship teams do. Not every game has to be a shutout or total domination. If the Yankees win the World Series this year, or at least make it there, they will have plenty of games where they do just enough to win them. Yesterday's game was one of those. That's fine because a win is a win.         

Player of the Game – 

J.C. Escarra had three hits and two RBI.

Notable Performances – 

Devin Williams pitched a scoreless 8th inning again and had three strikeouts.

Paul Goldschmidt and Aaron Judge each had two hits.

Better To Forget-

Oswald Peraza continues to prove that he is a great glove, but not a very good bat on the Major League level. 

My Take – 

The Yankees have not had a losing record since 1992. In 2023, it was a big deal when they finished 82-80 and didn't make the playoffs. The Yankees are used to winning as a franchise. They have won the World Series 27 times.  However, they have not won the World Series since 2009. If you were born the last time the Yankees won the World Series, you would now be old enough to drive a car. Very few Major League players from 2009 are still active today. Carlos Carrasco was, but he was recently released by the Yankees.

The point is that it has been a very long time since the Yankees won the World Series. It's great that they played in the World Series last year, but winning is better. Aaron Boone has a winning record every year he has managed the Yankees. He has led them to the playoffs every year except 2023. But he always comes up short. The only question is how short? The Yankees have been eliminated at some point in the postseason every year they have gone there under Aaron Boone. It's just a matter of in which round they will be eliminated.

If Aaron Boone is ever going to win the World Series with the Yankees (which I don't believe he will) he needs to do things differently. He needs to develop young players. He has to stop relying on players who are past their prime. DJ LeMahieu is best suited to a backup role at this point, at the most. If he is a starter into the playoffs, that would be a mistake.

In recent days, Boone has talked about Giancarlo Stanton returning. The plan is for him to face live batting practice for two weeks and then the Yankees will make a determination regarding minor league rehab games. Boone seems to be leaning away from having Stanton play minor league rehab games. His rationale (which is not a word one would normally use regarding Boone) is that Stanton doesn't play the field, so he really doesn't need a rehab assignment. We all know that Stanton takes forever to get his swing and timing down. The Yankees are already having a hard time fitting all their players into the lineup on a daily basis. You know Stanton will start at DH almost every day when he returns. We will not see the best version of Stanton. I don't think we will ever see that player again. We will probably see the Stanton who bats under .200 with an occasional burst of home runs. After yesterday's game, one of the reporters stated to Aaron Boone that due to his service time, Stanton can refuse a minor league rehab assignment. Boone seemed totally unaware of that, which although it is unsurprising, is something he should have known.

We know what Aaron Boone is going to do as he manages this team deeper into the season. We can predict all the mistakes, bizarre moves, poor decisions, and inane statements he will make. Boone seems to think his way is the best way. At this point, if he chooses to do things the same way and the Yankees do not win the World Series that should be his last opportunity to manage the team.

Next Up-

The Yankees will open a three-game series against the Angels tonight at 9:38 PM at Angel Stadium. Jack Kochanowicz, (3-5, 5.03 ERA) will pitch for Los Angeles. The Yankees will send Ryan Yarbrough, (1-0, 3.38 ERA) to the mound. Let's hope the Yankees give the angels a devil of a time.