The 2026 season is officially underway as New York delivered a statement 7-0 win to open up the year. It marked a historic opening night for Major League Baseball, as the automated ball-strike system made its debut at the highest level of professional play.
Yankees shortstop Jose Caballero tapped the top of his helmet to challenge a pitch he felt was up and in during a fourth-inning at-bat, but a speedy second look showed that the pitch clipped the top corner of the strike zone, upholding the home plate umpire’s call.
New York Breaks It Open Early Against Webb
On the scoresheet, the Yankees took a 5-0 lead in the second inning, capped by a two-run triple from Trent Grisham. They continued to pepper Webb with hits, going three up and three down just once with Webb on the mound, causing the WBC star to leave the game early. They had a productive night at the plate with Logan Webb on the mound, scoring six earned and one unearned run off the Giants’ ace in five innings of work.
The Yankees tacked on two more runs in the fifth to stretch the lead to 7-0, which proved more than enough to claim the Opening Day victory. Webb struck out seven and allowed just nine hits, but timely fielding mistakes combined with heads-up baserunning allowed New York to cash in early and often.
Fried and the Bullpen Finish a Rare Opening Day Shutout
It was the first time since 1967 the Yankees opened up the season with a shutout win on the road, as Max Fried threw 6 and 1/3 scoreless innings. Fried allowed just two hits and one walk in the outing before the Yankees bullpen held on for the victory.
Eight of the nine Yankee batters managed to get a hit, with Aaron Judge being the only Yankee to finish hitless. He struck out in his first four at-bats before grounding out in the ninth, making it the first Opening Day of Judge’s career where he failed to record a hit. Judge was also booed each time he stepped up to the plate, after being unsuccessfully pursued by the Giants in 2022 free agency.
What’s Next in the Series for New York and San Francisco
The two teams take a day off before meeting again on Friday, giving San Francisco plenty of time to regroup for the rest of the series. Judge will look to bounce back from his hitless season debut, while New York will look to build on its momentum from the season opener. Cam Schlittler is set to take the mound for New York on Friday, while Robbie Ray will start for San Francisco, which looks to avoid an 0-2 start.
The Giants have started 10 of the last 13 seasons 0-2, and while there are still 160 games to go, they need to avoid digging an early hole in a competitive National League West.
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