About Yesterday: Yankees 13, Rockies 1

About Yesterday: Yankees 13, Rockies 1

By Derek McAdam

May 25, 2025

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The New York Yankees defeated the Colorado Rockies by a score of 13-1 yesterday, improving to 31-20 on the season. Here is a recap of yesterday’s game.

Quick Stats:

W: Max Fried (7-0): 7.1 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K    

L: Kyle Freeland (0-7): 4.2 IP, 9 H, 8 R (4 ER), 2 BB, 3 K

HRs: Aaron Judge (18)

The 5th inning was the 14th instance this season that the Yankees scored five or more runs in a single inning, the second-most in MLB behind the Chicago Cubs (15). Additionally, every starter for the Yankees had at least one RBI and the 20 hits were a season-high for the Yankees. Every Yankee who came to the plate also had at least one hit.

The Big Story:

The Yankees were looking to rebound after a dreadful 3-2 loss Friday night to the Rockies, which was only their 9th win of the season. Luckily, it did not take the Yankees long to get going, as Judge hit a solo home run into right-center field to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead in the first inning. It was the league-leading 18th home run of the young season for Judge.

Max Fried took the mound for the Yankees and was looking to deliver yet another solid start for the team. Through the first three innings, Fried picked off two runners. But on the third attempt in the 4th inning, the ball went off Paul Goldschmidt’s glove, allowing Ezekiel Tovar to advance. However, Michael Toglia hit an RBI triple into the right-center field gap to tie the game at 1-1.

But the tie game did not last long. After Austin Wells led off the top of the 5th with a single, Oswald Peraza ripped an RBI double into the left-center field gap to score Wells and make the Yankees’ lead 2-1. After Goldschmidt worked a walk, Trent Grisham chopped a ball right in front of Freeland, who threw the ball into foul territory down the right field line, scoring Peraza and making the new lead 3-1. After walking Judge to load the bases, Cody Bellinger hit a sacrifice fly to score Goldschmidt and make the lead 4-1 Yankees.

But the inning wasn’t done just yet. Anthony Volpe grounded a ball up the middle that went off the second baseman’s glove into center field, scoring Grisham to make it 5-1 and moving Judge to third. Jasson Dominguez then came in to hit a sacrifice fly to make the new score 6-1 Yankees.

And no, the damage still was not done. After Freeland was removed from the game, Wells hit a two-run double to make the new score 8-1. Goldschmidt then hit an RBI single to make it 9-1 Grisham then added on with a two-run double to make it 11-1.

The Yankees tacked on some more runs in the 8th. After Bellinger led off with a triple, Volpe knocked him in with an RBI double to make the new score 12-1. LeMahieu then sent his third hit of the day into center field to score Volpe and make the new score 13-1.

After 83 pitches and 7.1 IP, Fried’s day came to an end in yet another solid performance for the Yankees. Ian Hamilton came in to get the final five outs of the game, giving the team their first win of the new road trip.

Player of the Game:

There are several candidates for this award, but I will give it to Fried. He had to keep the game close as the Yankees struggled in the first four innings offensively, and did just that.

Notable Performances:

Goldschmidt, Volpe, LeMahieu, and Bellinger all had three-hit days for the Yankees, while Dominguez and Wells each had multi-hit games. And Hamilton also had a solid relief appearance to save the bullpen for the next four consecutive days of games.

Better to Forget:

Grisham had a hard-hit two-run double, but he also grounded into a couple of double plays and really did not have any other solid at-bats. His struggles at the plate continue, and it may result in him having an off-day today or tomorrow.

My Take:

After a very disappointing loss Friday night, this was a great rebound win to force a rubber game matchup. And while there was a lot of action in this game, it was a bit surprising in that there was only one home run hit by the Yankees, which just so happened to be Judge’s solo home run in the 1st.

And scoring runs in different ways besides the home run ball is fun baseball to watch. Even in the 5th when the Yankees scored 10 runs, two of the three outs still resulted in runs. Fourteen batters came to the plate that inning and 13 of those at-bats were productive. That is a great inning to see, and an inning I would rather see than home run after home run.

I was also glad to see some struggling Yankees get a few hits, specifically Volpe and LeMahieu, both of whom had three-hit days. Dominguez also had several good at-bats from the right side of the plate, which has been an area of concern so far this year.

With regards to Fried, what more can be said? He delivered a win for the Yankees following a loss and continues to dominate on the mound. I thought Fried would stay in and try to go for the complete game, but Aaron Boone had other plans, which annoyed me at first, but when I realized Ian Hamilton was coming in, I figured it would be a good decision to get the struggling reliever some work in. And while it wasn’t five consecutive outs, he got the job done to end the game.

Overall, this was a solid win for the Yankees. Sure, this is a team they should be winning games against, but this was a blow-out win that hopefully gives them some momentum going into today’s game. A series win would be a solid way to start off the road trip.

What’s Next?:

The Yankees and Rockies will play the rubber game this afternoon before the Yankees head out to Anaheim to continue their road trip. Will Warren is scheduled to start for the Yankees, while Antonio Senzatela is scheduled to go for the Rockies. First pitch is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. EST from Coors Field in Denver, Colorado.