Andres Chavez
The 2026 MLB season will officially start on Wednesday at 8:05 pm ET. The New York Yankees will visit Oracle Park to face the San Francisco Giants in the opener, with Max Fried taking the mound for the Bombers and Logan Webb toeing the rubber for the home team.
The Yankees didn’t make a whole lot of moves during the offseason, as they decided to “run it back” with the same foundation they had last year. They were able to bring back some key pieces, though, such as Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham, Ryan Yarbrough, Paul Blackburn, Amed Rosario, Paul Goldschmidt, and others. They also traded for Ryan Weathers to fortify their rotation, a unit that is expected to get Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon back soon.
The two organizations have already revealed their lineups for tonight’s clash.
The Lineups Are Ready
The Yankees will roll with Trent Grisham, Aaron Judge, and Cody Bellinger as their first three hitters, an imposing trio for Webb and any pitcher in the league. Ben Rice is at first base and occupying the cleanup slot, followed by designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton.
Jazz Chisholm Jr., Jose Caballero, Ryan McMahon, and Austin Wells round out the Yankees’ batting order as they take on one of the top pitchers in the National League in the last few years.
The Giants will go with Luis Arraez, Matt Chapman, Rafael Devers, Willy Adames, Jung-Ho Lee, Heliot Ramos, Casey Schmitt, Patrick Bailey, and Harrison Bader.
The Yankees Fully Trust Max Fried
Fried was fantastic in his first season in pinstripes last year, putting up a 2.86 ERA in 195.1 innings of work. He struck out 189 and walked just 51, winning 19 games and losing just five. He would have been even better if he hadn’t suffered the effects of blisters in the second half.
His spring training performance wasn’t the best. The southpaw posted a 4.40 ERA in the Grapefruit League this season, with four walks and 12 punchouts in 14.1 innings of work. Still, no one is worried about those numbers. The team is fully confident in his ability to dominate from the get-go.
Everything is ready for the Yankees to start another quest at their first World Series title since 2009. They have come close multiple times since then, but have fallen short. The organization believes that running it back with the same offense, plus a healthy Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and Fried trio at the top of the rotation, they can compete with the very best teams in baseball.
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