The Yankees enjoyed some warmer April weather on Monday night, as they crushed four homers and held the Kansas City Royals to only two hits in a 4-1 win at Yankee Stadium.
Here are the takeaways…
— The Yankees entered Monday with a league-worst rotation ERA of 5.40, but Carlos Carrasco managed to bring that bloated mark down. After flirting with trouble in the first inning by allowing a pair of walks, the veteran starter quickly settled down and went on to complete five frames of one-run ball. His lone mistake was a solo home run to superstar Bobby Witt Jr. that placed the Royals up 1-0 in the third. Call it a huge rebound outing from Carrasco, who struck out four (79 pitches) and lowered his ERA to 5.94 through four starts.
— Royals starter Seth Lugo arrived in the Bronx with an established history of keeping Yankees’ fly balls in the ballpark, but the numbers didn’t mean anything to those tasked with facing him. In the fourth, he served up a game-tying solo homer to Jazz Chisholm Jr. that landed in New York’s bullpen. Then, in the fifth, a trio of lefties — Trent Grisham, Ben Rice, and Austin Wells — took Lugo deep into the right field seats to push the Yankees’ lead to 4-1. In his pervious 14 games against the Yankees, Lugo had allowed just two homers.
— New York relied on its bullpen to record 12 outs, and the trusted group of relievers matched Carrasco’s production. Fernando Cruz took the mound for the sixth inning, striking out three of the four batters he faced. Tim Hill then entered, inducing a groundout and strikeout. Luke Weaver earned his fifth hold of the season with a scoreless eighth, and closer Devin Williams overcame more control issues by shutting down a brief Royals rally in the ninth. Kansas City was held to just two hits.
— Perhaps some concerns about Jasson Dominguez’s progress in left field were reduced, as the rookie logged a career-high six putouts. His highlight-reel catch came in the fourth, when he robbed Salvador Perez of extra bases with a leaping over-the-shoulder grab near the left field warning track. Dominguez entered Monday with 13 season putouts.
— Cody Bellinger, who was left out of the lineup due to lingering back dicomfort, entered as a pinch-hitter in the eighth and struck out with Paul Goldschmidt on second base. He then replaced Dominguez in left during the ninth. Aaron Judge went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles and strikeouts, hours after being named captain of Team USA for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Game MVP: Carlos Carrasco
The 38-year-old’s previous outing against the Detroit Tigers was discouraging, as he allowed four runs on six hits in 4.1 innings and made a feel-good spring training story seem even more fluky. But the Yankees received a valuable bounce-back outing from him on Monday.
Highlights
Jasson Dominguez goes back to make the catch! pic.twitter.com/4QxqLib4Ty
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 15, 2025
He’s heating up!
Jazz Chisholm Jr. goes deep for the second straight day 🔥 pic.twitter.com/tGFAYezTPd
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 15, 2025
TRENT GRISHAM HITS ANOTHER HOME RUN! pic.twitter.com/pkI6gIKPuQ
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 15, 2025
ARROZ FOR ALL! 🍚
BEN RICE HITS THE YANKEES’ SECOND HOME RUN OF THE INNING pic.twitter.com/R0dV4OiNDo
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 15, 2025
AUSTIN WELLS HOMERS DOWN THE LINE!
THE THIRD YANKEES HOME RUN OF THE INNING! pic.twitter.com/IgIUqOtEWh
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 15, 2025
Fernando Cruz. Filthy. pic.twitter.com/ml5rv946ad
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 15, 2025
What’s next
The Yankees (9-7) will play the middle game of their series against the Royals on Tuesday night, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
Max Fried (2-0, 1.56 ERA) will take the mound, opposite Michael Wacha (0-2, 4.20 ERA).
The Yankees enjoyed some warmer April weather on Monday night, as they crushed four homers and held the Kansas City Royals to only two hits in a 4-1 win at Yankee Stadium.
Here are the takeaways…
— The Yankees entered Monday with a league-worst rotation ERA of 5.40, but Carlos Carrasco managed to bring that bloated mark down. After flirting with trouble in the first inning by allowing a pair of walks, the veteran starter quickly settled down and went on to complete five frames of one-run ball. His lone mistake was a solo home run to superstar Bobby Witt Jr. that placed the Royals up 1-0 in the third. Call it a huge rebound outing from Carrasco, who struck out four (79 pitches) and lowered his ERA to 5.94 through four starts.
— Royals starter Seth Lugo arrived in the Bronx with an established history of keeping Yankees’ fly balls in the ballpark, but the numbers didn’t mean anything to those tasked with facing him. In the fourth, he served up a game-tying solo homer to Jazz Chisholm Jr. that landed in New York’s bullpen. Then, in the fifth, a trio of lefties — Trent Grisham, Ben Rice, and Austin Wells — took Lugo deep into the right field seats to push the Yankees’ lead to 4-1. In his pervious 14 games against the Yankees, Lugo had allowed just two homers.
— New York relied on its bullpen to record 12 outs, and the trusted group of relievers matched Carrasco’s production. Fernando Cruz took the mound for the sixth inning, striking out three of the four batters he faced. Tim Hill then entered, inducing a groundout and strikeout. Luke Weaver earned his fifth hold of the season with a scoreless eighth, and closer Devin Williams overcame more control issues by shutting down a brief Royals rally in the ninth. Kansas City was held to just two hits.
— Perhaps some concerns about Jasson Dominguez’s progress in left field were reduced, as the rookie logged a career-high six putouts. His highlight-reel catch came in the fourth, when he robbed Salvador Perez of extra bases with a leaping over-the-shoulder grab near the left field warning track. Dominguez entered Monday with 13 season putouts.
— Cody Bellinger, who was left out of the lineup due to lingering back dicomfort, entered as a pinch-hitter in the eighth and struck out with Paul Goldschmidt on second base. He then replaced Dominguez in left during the ninth. Aaron Judge went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles and strikeouts, hours after being named captain of Team USA for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Game MVP: Carlos Carrasco
The 38-year-old’s previous outing against the Detroit Tigers was discouraging, as he allowed four runs on six hits in 4.1 innings and made a feel-good spring training story seem even more fluky. But the Yankees received a valuable bounce-back outing from him on Monday.
Highlights
Jasson Dominguez goes back to make the catch! pic.twitter.com/4QxqLib4Ty
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 15, 2025
He’s heating up!
Jazz Chisholm Jr. goes deep for the second straight day 🔥 pic.twitter.com/tGFAYezTPd
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 15, 2025
TRENT GRISHAM HITS ANOTHER HOME RUN! pic.twitter.com/pkI6gIKPuQ
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 15, 2025
ARROZ FOR ALL! 🍚
BEN RICE HITS THE YANKEES’ SECOND HOME RUN OF THE INNING pic.twitter.com/R0dV4OiNDo
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 15, 2025
AUSTIN WELLS HOMERS DOWN THE LINE!
THE THIRD YANKEES HOME RUN OF THE INNING! pic.twitter.com/IgIUqOtEWh
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 15, 2025
Fernando Cruz. Filthy. pic.twitter.com/ml5rv946ad
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 15, 2025
What’s next
The Yankees (9-7) will play the middle game of their series against the Royals on Tuesday night, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
Max Fried (2-0, 1.56 ERA) will take the mound, opposite Michael Wacha (0-2, 4.20 ERA).
