Opening Day in the Bronx brought sunshine, seven hits, and a few loud cracks of the bat. The Yankees kicked off the 2025 season with a crisp 4–2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers, powered by early homers, a sturdy outing from Carlos Rodón, and a bullpen that mostly slammed the door.
Carlos Rodón Sets the Tone
With the Yankees missing their ace Gerrit Cole, the pressure was on Carlos Rodón to step up—and he did just that.
The left-hander tossed 5.1 innings, allowing just one run on four hits, walking two, and striking out seven. His only blemish came in the third inning, when Vinny Capra caught a high fastball and sent it out for a solo homer. Other than that, Rodón was sharp, mixing in his fastball and slider to keep the Brewers guessing.
Rodón left with a one-run lead, and the bullpen made sure it stuck.
Bullpen Slams the Door
Tim Hill entered in the sixth to escape a jam, logging 0.2 scoreless frames. Mark Leiter Jr. and Luke Weaver followed, each tossing a clean inning and striking out a pair.
Then it was time for the Yankees’ prized bullpen addition, Devin Williams, to get the final three outs. The Airbender struggled, loading the bases with no outs before getting Bryce Turang to hit a sac fly. He managed two strikeouts to finish the Brewers off. It was a concerning debut, but it’s not a surprise Williams struggled off the bat, having been used seldomly this spring.
Austin Wells Starts the Season With a Bang
What better way to start a season than with a leadoff home run?
Catcher Austin Wells, making history as the first backstop to lead off for the Yankees on Opening Day, wasted no time. On the third pitch he saw, he sent a laser over the short porch in right field, giving the Yankees a quick 1–0 lead.
Wells finished 1-for-3 with a walk but made that one hit count in a big way.
Power and Patience at the Plate
Anthony Volpe added to the lead with a wind-assisted solo shot in the second inning, a 373-foot fly that found just enough help to clear the wall. Volpe’s added muscle over the offseason was on display and it’s a promising sign for a player looking to take that next step offensively.
Aaron Judge struck out twice but delivered a clutch RBI double in the seventh inning, lacing a ball of the third base bag that bounced into the outfield to extend the lead. Right after, Cody Bellinger tacked on a sac fly to bring Judge home, making it 4–1.
Ben Rice also flashed his power with a single off the right field wall (reached 2nd on an error) and reached base with a walk, showing the kind of patience and hard contact that earned him the DH job while Giancarlo Stanton remains sidelined.
- The Yankees have a new power-hitting DH and he’s already red hot
- The Yankees made one brilliant trade this offseason
- Yankees have cracked the code at one critical spot in the lineup
Chisholm Still Searching
Jazz Chisholm had a rough go in his Yankees debut, going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a walk. Brewers starter Freddy Peralta fooled him a few times with a devastating changeup, and it’s clear the timing still needs a bit of fine-tuning.
Chisholm’s upside remains enormous, but like a lot late March swings, the barrel just hasn’t found the ball yet.
The Yankees are back at it on Saturday with a chance to keep the momentum rolling. One game in, and it’s already clear this squad has the pieces to make some serious noise—especially if the pitching holds steady and the power continues to show up.