About Yesterday: Yankees 8, Cubs 3

About Yesterday: Yankees 8, Cubs 3

By Derek McAdam

March 25, 2026

***

In the final exhibition game before Opening Day (yes, we finally made it!), the New York Yankees defeated the Chicago Cubs by a score of 8-3. Here is a recap of the game and a few thoughts to go along with it.

Gerrit Cole took the mound for his second start since his return from Tommy John surgery. And while the first appearance was scoreless, this one was not meant to be. Alex Bregman hit a solo home run off Cole in the bottom of the 1st to give the Cubs a quick 1-0 lead.  However, Ryan McMahon hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 1-1 in the top of the 2nd. Cole would end up retiring five batters, allowing one hit, one run, and striking out three.

The Yankees added on three solo home runs over the next couple of innings, including Ben Rice’s go-ahead home run in the 3rd, while Jasson Dominguez and Randal Grichuk each had one in the 4th. Payton Henry hit an RBI single in the 5th to score Spencer Jones and give the Yankees a 5-1 lead.

Ryan Weathers ended up pitching five innings for the Yankees in relief, and was able to end his dreadful Spring Training on a much better note, allowing only one run on home run from Miguel Amaya in the 5th. He also allowed four hits, one walk, and struck out four.

In the 6th, Amed Rosario hit a two-run single to give the Yankees a 7-2 lead before Paul DeJong hit an RBI double to extend the lead to 8-2.

The Cubs were able to get one back in the 8th when Kane Kepley hit a sacrifice fly to make it 8-3 Yankees. However, they were not able to rally in the 9th and the Yankees secured the win, finishing Spring Training at 19-12.

It has felt like a very long off-season, but we have officially made it to Opening Day. The Yankees have a bit of a scattered start to their season, since they are the only game tonight and will have tomorrow and Sunday off, but we will still have plenty of other games to watch during those couple of days.

Luis Gil was optioned to Triple-A, which I already feel is getting completely blown out of proportion. With these couple of days off, the Yankees want to get into a consistent stride with their rotation. Max Fried will have his normal rest and then they can get into the swing of things next week. I would not be surprised at all if Gil is back in the big leagues by the end of next week. This allows the Yankees to carry an extra arm in the bullpen, which will certainly come in handy.

Fried squaring off against Logan Webb is a nice Opening Day matchup, although there may be many Yankee fans who will be unable to view the game since it will be streamed on Netflix. Even though I am part of the younger crowd, it is frustrating to figure out where every single game will be broadcast. But this is the new age that we live in. Hopefully, there won’t be any streaming issues.

The Yankees will play the majority of the first month in cold weather, with the exception of Seattle (retractable roof) and Tampa. But hopefully, once they come back from a long road-trip covering Boston, Houston and Texas, they can find some warmer weather in the Bronx. Or there is the possibility of 85 degree days in the middle of April. I have no idea how Mother Nature will be feeling at that time.

With this current roster, I will be curious to see what kind of start the Yankees get off to this year. I can see them getting a nice morale boost once Carlos Rodon and Cole return, but that is still at least a month away. And while both pitchers will likely still be on pitch count restrictions, their contributions down the line will hopefully be very valuable.

I’m also curious to see how the bullpen does. There was a lot of turnover from last season, but once Rodon and Cole return, there will be some moves to be made. Gil or Will Warren are the likely two candidates to be moved to the bullpen, but that remains to be seen. Injuries occur, and it’s very much a possibility that such an issue will arise before the end of April, if not sooner.

I know with certainty that this is another big season for the Yankees. The AL East is still going to be very competitive and the Yankees are going to have their hands full. But they must take it one game at a time and focus on short-term goals. Games in July and August do not matter right now. Yes, it is a long season, but tonight’s game is just as important as the 162nd game.

Good luck Yankees, and hopefully, we can see a World Series ring this year. Only time will tell if that will be a possibility.