Turns out the Yankees do not need the long ball to put up a crooked number.
Especially when the bottom of the order is consistently cleaning up.
Already the majors’ highest-scoring offense (per game) through the first week of the season, the Yankees leaned on the depth of their lineup to pad those numbers Friday by walloping the Pirates 9-4 in a miserable home opener for the hosts at PNC Park.
The Yankees’ six through nine hitters — Anthony Volpe, Trent Grisham, Jasson Dominguez and Oswaldo Cabrera — combined to go 9-for-15 with three walks, two hit-by-pitches, five runs and seven RBIs to stake out an early lead.
Of course, the Yankees did not let the game end without adding to their home run total, courtesy of Aaron Judge.
Jasson Domínguez, Trent Grisham and Ben Rice celebrate during the Yankees-Pirates game on April 4, 2025.
The reigning AL MVP, playing in his 1,000th career game, crushed a two-run shot in the seventh inning off lefty Tim Mayza — his sixth home run in seven games this year, putting him on pace for a ridiculous 139 homers in a full season.
Anthony Volpe celebrates during the Yankees-Pirates game on April 4, 2025.
Through seven games, the Yankees now have scored 69 runs and drilled 23 home runs, though their first seven runs Friday came without leaving the park.
It was more than enough support for Max Fried, who once again was the beneficiary of an avalanche of runs, though this time he lasted long enough to pick up his first win as a Yankee.
Fried was on the mound when the Yankees boat-raced the Brewers for 20 runs Saturday, but the lefty completed just 4 ²/₃ innings.
On Friday, he was much sharper, tossing 5 ²/₃ innings and allowing just one run (a solo homer by Bryan Reynolds) while striking out six.
Between the Yankees pummeling them and the Pirates’ self-inflicted wounds piling up, the agitated home crowd of 36,893 spent much of the day unleashing “sell the team” chants.
Judge flashed the leather early while avoiding injury on a fly ball that had him charging toward the right field wall.
Max Fried pitches during the Yankees-Pirates game on April 4, 2025.
Judge leapt on the warning track to rob Ke’Bryan Hayes of extra bases and tumbled into the base of the wall, though it was a much softer landing than the one he had at Dodger Stadium two years ago that injured his toe.
After wasting runners on first and second with no outs in the top of the first inning, the Yankees cashed in the following frame against Mitch Keller.
Grisham, starting in place of Cody Bellinger (stiff back), drew a one-out walk before Dominguez lined a double to the right-field corner.
Cabrera (3-for-4, four RBIs) came up next and sprayed a two-run single to left-center field,
Aaron Judge celebrates during the Yankees-Pirates game on April 4, 2025.
Fried put the first two batters on in the bottom of the second but eventually stranded them both, and the Yankees went back to work with two outs in the third.
The rally started when Volpe (3-for-4) was hit by a pitch and Grisham reached on a grounder up the middle that ex-Yankee Isiah Kiner-Falefa could not handle.
Dominguez then poked a single the other way to score one run before Cabrera also singled through the left side to make it 4-0.
The Yankees piled on some more in the fourth inning, again with two outs, as the frame turned into a slog.
Trent Grisham swings during the Yankees-Pirates game on April 4, 2025.
This time, six straight Yankees reached base, with Volpe providing an RBI single, Dominguez driving in a run by getting hit by a pitch and Cabrera scoring another on a bases-loaded walk to make it a 7-1 bludgeoning.
Judge’s two-run shot came in the seventh inning off Mayza — the lefty who spent part of last season with the Yankees but is better known for giving up Judge’s 61st homer in 2022.
