The New York Yankees continued their early-season offensive onslaught Friday night, cruising past the Pittsburgh Pirates 9–4 behind a flurry of hits and some timely pitching. While not every swing landed cleanly, the Yankees did more than enough to notch their fifth win of the season, riding contributions from all corners of the lineup.
Judge Keeps Homering, Even on an Off Night
Even when Aaron Judge isn’t fully locked in, he still makes noise. The Yankees’ captain struck out three times, but made the one swing that mattered most — a towering two-run home run in the seventh inning, his sixth of the year.
Judge’s blast drove in Ben Rice, who reached base three times Friday night and continues to show an advanced approach at the plate. Rice worked two walks and added a hit, flashing the patience and awareness that’s earned him a temporary spot at the top of the order. Through his first eight games, he’s become a reliable table setter for the big bats behind him.
The Bottom of the Order Carries the Load
While the big names usually grab headlines, it was the bottom half of the Yankees’ lineup that did the heavy lifting in this one.
Anthony Volpe and Oswaldo Cabrera combined for six of the team’s 13 hits. Cabrera, in particular, had his best game of the season — tallying three hits and four RBIs while raising his slash line to .316/.381/.316.
He’s not known for his power, but Cabrera is squaring the ball up consistently, putting it in play, and helping turn the lineup over with traffic on the bases. His contact-oriented approach and improved pitch recognition have started to carve out a more prominent role in the lineup.
Max Fried Settles In
On the mound, free agent addition Max Fried gave the Yankees exactly what they needed — steady hands and ground ball outs.
Fried lasted 5.2 innings, giving up just one earned run and striking out six. He pounded the zone, mixed his pitches well, and didn’t allow the Pirates to string together much momentum. His command was sharper than his debut against Milwaukee, and the Yankees will take outings like this all day from their $218 million ace while the rest of the rotation gets healthy.
A Small Hiccup, Then a Strong Finish
Fernando Cruz ran into trouble in the seventh, allowing three earned runs without recording more than two outs. The Pirates briefly closed the gap, threatening to make things interesting late.
But Brent Headrick calmed the storm, and Devin Williams — back from the paternity list — shut the door with a solid ninth inning. Williams looked sharp, commanding his fastball and flashing the devastating changeup that made him one of the most feared closers in baseball last season.
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Looking Ahead to Saturday’s Matchup
With the win, the Yankees move to 5–3 and keep pace in the early AL standings. They’ll send Marcus Stroman to the mound Saturday afternoon against lefty Bailey Falter as they aim to secure the series win and keep the offense humming.