Andres Chavez
The New York Yankees got a comfortable 7-0 win over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night at Oracle Park, in front of a packed house in the Bay Area. Starting pitcher Max Fried was absolutely sensational with 6.1 innings of solid work, allowing no runs, two hits, and one walk while striking out four and getting seven outs on the ground.
With Aaron Judge having a four-strikeout night and going 0-for-5 overall, the rest of the offense had to pick up the slack. Trent Grisham tripled and drove in two runs, Ryan McMahon also had two RBI, and Austin Wells and Giancarlo Stanton had two hits each.
Fried and the offense gave the Yankees the key to a victory, but the bullpen definitely helped protect it. Granted, it was low-leverage work thanks to the productive night at the plate and the southpaw’s efforts, but Jake Bird, Brent Headrick, and Camilo Doval got the job done on Wednesday.
Starting The Season On The Right Foot
Bird, who had a 2025 to forget after coming over from the Colorado Rockies, completed the seventh inning that Fried started with two quick outs, one via the strikeout. A quick, effective outing to build confidence was ideal on the first day of the season.
Headrick encountered some issues in the eighth after surrendering a hit and a walk, but got two fly outs and a strikeout to take care of his frame. Then, Doval worked around a fielding error by shortstop Jose Caballero and got Casey Schmitt to fly out to end the game.
It wasn’t all perfect, because there was some loud contact in those relief appearances, but it was solid work by three relievers whose 2025 performance has put the spotlight on them.
Pitchers With A Chip On Their Shoulder
Doval is expected to be one of the high-leverage guys this year. He came over from San Francisco last year with a closer pedigree and a triple-digit arm, yet struggled to a 4.82 ERA in the Bronx. He finished the year strong and carried momentum into the 2026 campaign.
Bird was even worse, logging a 27.00 ERA in two innings with the Yankees last year, and then struggling in Scranton, too. He has the stuff to be an asset against righties, though, and proved it on Wednesday’s opener.
Headrick was actually very good for the Yankees in 2025, with a 3.13 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 23 frames. He had to sweat to make the roster, though, and responded with a scoreless frame to set the tone for the rest of the year.
We are yet to watch guys like Cade Winquest make his MLB debut, or David Bednar, Fernando Cruz, or Tim Hill dominate in the late innings. However, the Yankees’ bullpen looked just fine in the opener.
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