About Yesterday: Yankees 4, Phillies 2

About Yesterday: Yankees 4, Phillies 2

By Derek McAdam

March 11, 2026

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The New York Yankees defeated the Philadelphia Phillies by a score of 4-2 yesterday, improving to 11-6 in Spring Training and snapping a brief three-game losing streak. Here’s a quick recap of the game, followed by some of my thoughts and observations as we approach the regular season (which is only two short weeks away).

Jasson Dominguez got the offense going for the Yankees in the first inning with a solo home run, his second of Spring Training, to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. In the next inning, Spencer Jones, who was recently opted to Triple-A to start the season, hit a solo home run to double the Yankees’ lead to 2-0. 

In the bottom of the inning, Bryan de la Cruz hit an RBI single to score Bryson Stott and cut the Yankees’ lead to 2-1. But in the bottom of the 3rd, JT Realmuto connected for his first home run of Spring Training to tie the game at 2-2. 

Luis Gil got the start for the Yankees and went 3.1 innings, allowing four hits, two runs (one earned), and striking out four. And while Gil had neither or great nor terrible start, the bullpen was the star of the show for the Yankees. A combination of Tim Hill, Brent Headrick and Paul Blackburn, the latter of which got a four-inning save, gave the Yankees 5.2 scoreless innings, allowing only four hits and striking out six. 

The Yankees were ultimately able to take the lead in the 6th when JC Escarra hit into a fielder’s choice to score Ben Rice and give the Yankees a 3-2 lead. Max Schuemann then doubled to score Dominguez and give the Yankees a 4-2 lead, which would ultimately be the final score. 

Quick Thoughts

Now that Jones will officially be in Scranton to start the season, Dominguez will be fighting for an outfield position with the Yankees. Unfortunately for him, the Yankees have all three positions filled, barring any future injuries. I have defended Dominguez numerous times and will continue to do so. He is going to make mistakes in the outfield, but he should be playing at a Major League level. He is a better batter than numerous Yankees and just turned 23 last month. He will have plenty of time to grow, if he is only given a proper chance. 

It seems as if the Yankees are trying to make Blackburn into a super-utility pitcher. He has started in Spring Training, come in for quick and long relief, and has now added a save to his very active Spring Training. I have never been a fan of assigning relievers roles, such as the 7th and 8th inning pitchers, and so forth. But if Blackburn can work to pitch in any given scenario, his value to the team will skyrocket. With as much as teams rely on their bullpens now, it only makes sense to have your pitchers be as flexible as possible. 

Aaron Judge just continues to impress me after his two-run home run against Mexico on Monday. He is leading the USA offense and giving them the spark they need for each game. He seems to be creating the first runs for the team and set the tone going forward for the rest of the game. Hopefully, he can keep them momentum going into the regular season, which starts two weeks from tonight. 

And speaking of the regular season, yes, we have regular season baseball two weeks from tonight. It will be the only game of the evening, but the Yankees will be in San Francisco to take on the Giants in a game that will be streamed on Netflix. It will likely be a cold evening on the bay, but I’m just excited to see regular season games in action again. 

Lastly, I thought it was awesome to see Didi Gregorius, who is playing for the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic, hit a home run. And not only that, but it came against his former teammate Luis Severino, who is pitching for the Dominican Republic. I guess it means that Gregorius still has some power left in him.