About Yesterday: The Yankees defeated the Orioles 4-2

About Yesterday: The Yankees defeated the Orioles 4-2

By Tim Kabel

June 23, 2025

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The Yankees came back in a game in which they were trailing 2-1, to win it 4-2. They won the series against the Orioles, and they have now won two games in a row. That is nice, but I wouldn't start collecting ticker tape just yet. Based on the composition of the two teams and their records, beating the Orioles is something the Yankees are supposed to do. Based on the way they have played lately; it is mildly surprising that they did so. For the Yankees to have a successful season, they need to win the majority of the games they should win. Actually, they need to win the great majority of the games they should win. This weekend was lovely, but the Yankees need to win consistently.

Quick Stats – 

·       Jazz Chisholm, Jr. is batting .350 with 11 RBI since returning from the IL. He has raised his season average to .242.

·       Fernando Cruz has 50 strikeouts in 30.1 innings.

·       Prior to yesterday's game, the Yankees were 1-22 when trailing after 7 innings.

·       Despite a shaky start, Will Warren only gave up two runs and six hits in 6.1 innings.

·       Despite winning the last two games, the Yankees are still 3-7 in their last 10 games.

·       On June 22, 1926, the Saint Louis Cardinals acquired future Hall of Fame pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander after he was placed on waivers by the Chicago Cubs. That move would later bite the New York Yankees. In the 1926 World Series, the Yankees lost Games Two and Six to Alexander. He then came back to earn the save in Game Seven. He also married Doris Day and became President of the United States. At least, that's what happened in the movie.

The Big Story – 

The Yankees are at a very interesting point in the season. They are in first place, 2 1/2 games ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are 13 games over .500, after going 3-7 in their last ten games. They struggled against teams they should have beaten. They will now play six games against the Cincinnati Reds and the Oakland A's. The Reds are barely above .500 and are in fourth place in the National League Central. The A's are 15 games below .500 and are in last place in the American League West.

It would be very easy to say that the Yankees should win most if not all of the games against the Reds and the A's, but should they? The way the Yankees have played since the series against the Dodgers, is it realistic to say they should beat any team? Quite possibly, there is someone writing an article on a Cincinnati Reds’ fan website or an Oakland A's fan website who is saying that the Reds or the A's should beat the Yankees. Right now, it's anybody's guess as to what will happen over the next six games. I think that's how we need to look at this season, at least at this point. We need to look at it in segments. 

If the Yankees sweep the Reds and the A's, it would not be a huge surprise. On the other hand, if the Yankees were swept by the Reds and the A's, that would also not be a huge surprise. I suppose the air of mystery and the element of surprise will spice things up.

Player of the Game – 

Jazz Chisholm junior had two hits, two RBI, and scored two runs. 

Notable Performance – 

Ben Rice was 3 for 4 with a double and a run scored.

Fernando Cruz pitched a hitless, scoreless 8th inning, with three strikeouts. He earned the win.

Better To Forget-

There was not much on the field to complain about. However, prior to the game, Ryan Yarbrough was placed on the IL with a strained oblique. Yarbrough has done a great job for the Yankees this season and it is yet another pitching injury the team has to withstand.

My Take – 

I have been watching Yankees games for 50 years I may have seen some before that but in 1975, I became a full-time, die-hard fan. As I have mentioned many times, my favorite player was Thurman Munson. I have seen a lot of baseball. I have seen Yankees’ teams that won the World Series. I have also seen some pretty awful Yankees’ teams as well. I had a season ticket plan during the Stump Merrill era. I saw Kevin Maas, Mel Hall, and Deion Sanders play for the New York Yankees.

The Yankees have a very good team this season. I'm glad they no longer have Josh Donaldson, Joey Gallo, and Aaron Hicks on the roster. Despite the fact that Gerrit Cole is out for the season, and they haven't had Luis Gil appear in a game yet, this is a very good team that is capable of advancing far into the postseason. Do they have a chance to win the World Series? In an ideal world, yes. 

Unfortunately, this is not an ideal world. I honestly don't believe the Yankees will ever win the World Series with Aaron Boone as the manager. I have 7 1/2 years of evidence to back up that statement. When I watch this Yankees’ team, I always get an uneasy feeling. Not quite a feeling of impending doom, but just the knowledge that at some point, something will go wrong. It has been that way ever since Aaron Boone became the manager. Initially, there was no reason to suspect that there would be a Boone-Swoon. He had not invented it yet. But that became a pattern, and an annual occurrence like flocks of geese flying overhead in the fall. You know that there will be a Boone-Swoon. You know something will happen and they will either not make the playoffs, or more likely, they will make the playoffs but will be eliminated fairly early in the process. Even when they made it to the World Series last year, you knew something would go wrong.  You just didn't know that Boone would bring Nestor Cortes into Game One and that he would implode.

It is hard to be a Yankees’ fan right now because you want to have hope. You want to believe. However, when it comes to rooting for the Yankees under Boone, logic, experience, and common sense are the enemies of hope. Perhaps at some point this season, if they survive the Boone -Swoon, I will fall into the trap one more time and be hopeful that they can win it all. Then, just as I have every year in the recent past, I will kick myself in October.

Next Up-

The Yankees will open a three-game series against the Reds tonight at 7:10 PM at The Great American Ball Park. Nick Lodolo, (5-5, 3.71 ERA) will pitch for Cincinnati. The Yankees will send Allan Winans, (0-0, 0.00 ERA) to the mound, making his Yankees’ debut. Let’s hope he puts the win in Winans.