Why the Dodgers are on track to win the National League West again
We explain the breakdown of the NL West division competition, why the Dodgers remain a winnable team, and what will raise expectations for a third straight division championship.
SAN FRANCISCO — The New York Yankees heard all about the outpouring of energy coming from the San Francisco Giants’ clubhouse, the old-school collegiate spirit that will be a game-changer for Major League Baseball, and how the Yankees will be the first to witness a new sheriff in town.
Now, by the end of the night, the Yankees had let Giants rookie manager Tony Vitello know that energy is a great thing, but when you have a pitcher who can push that energy where a Maccovey Cove kayak can’t float, it’s just not worth it.
The Yankees shut out the Giants 7-0 in the 2026 season opener on Wednesday night behind a stellar performance from Max Fried, but all that energy faded into the night in front of a sold-out crowd of 40,856 at Oracle Park.
The Yankees allowed just two hits in Fried’s 6 1/3 innings, and the seven-run loss was the Giants’ most lopsided loss in a season opener.
The Giants allowed one hit in the first inning.
He also had a hit in the fourth inning.
1 point in the 8th inning.
That was it.
This was the Giants’ fewest hits on Opening Day since April 12, 1965.
“I could point to small things, but this wasn’t a March Madness game where we made some bad plays at the end,” Vitello said.
It was a complete and utter ugly beating by the Bronx Bombers, but it could have been worse.
Can you imagine how much damage the Yankees would have done if Aaron Judge hadn’t gotten four strikeouts in his first six innings, becoming the first reigning MVP to have four strikeouts in a season opener?
Or what if Freed had eaten something really delicious tonight?
“This is a testament to how good he is and how you can beat him in different ways,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “I think tonight was a little tough for him in some ways. He was a little off and on with his rhythm.” But even if he’s a little wild in nature, his arsenal is so vast that you have to take a lot into account…
“I mean, that’s what an ace looks like when he’s grinding, but what a great tone he’s set for us.”
The only time the Yankees lost anything all night was in the bottom of the fifth inning, when Jose Caballero became the first player in history to use the ABS challenge. He argued that if veteran home plate umpire Bill Miller called a strike, it would be a ball, that replay would confirm the call, and that the Yankees would lose the challenge.
“That’s what I wanted to go for. I think it’s really good to hold everyone accountable and give them a chance to see if we’re hitting the strike zone well,” Caballero said.
Well, at least he’ll go down in baseball history.
“That’s cool. I wish it was the other way around,” he said.
It turned out to be the biggest suspense of the night, with the Yankees getting 10 hits and every batter except Judge collecting at least one hit and either scoring or scoring.
“This lineup can do things like this often. We just trust each other,” Caballero said.
“It’s fun to be a part of this team,” said leadoff hitter Trent Grisham, who became the first Yankee to triple on Opening Day since Johnny Damon in 2009. “If we can keep having good at-bats after good at-bats, it looks like we have some energy.”
The Yankees showed their depth to all Netflix viewers. It started out innocently enough, with Giants ace Logan Webb removing Ben Rice for a lead off in the second inning, but suddenly he saw everything spiral out of control.
Giancarlo Stanton became the Yankees’ first baserunner of the game with a single to center field. Webb then hit Jazz Chisholm in the shoulder with a 92.5 mph sinker. Caballero singled to left field, scoring Stanton. Webb was led 0-for-2 by No. 8 hitter Ryan McMahon, but McMahon bounced a changeup to center field for just two runs. No. 9 batter Austin Wells followed with a single.
Grisham became the sixth Yankee in a row to reach base, finishing off Webb with a two-run triple to the right-center seats for a 5-0 lead.
And the rout began.
“It happened so fast,” Wells said. It was really fun to watch and participate. ”
The Yankees put Webb on a rampage, scoring nine hits and seven runs (six earned runs) in just five innings. This tied his record for most points allowed in 91 starts in his San Francisco career.
It was the exact opposite of Freed’s rule. He started the game by walking three-time batting champion Luis Arraez on four pitches, and when No. 4 batter Willie Adames came to bat, the Giants already had one out and runners on the corners. no problem. He struck out Adames with a 95 mph cutter. Jung Hoo Lee then hit an inning-ending ground ball on the next pitch.
The Giants did not reach second base again until the eighth inning, well after Fried was ejected.
“This was one of those games where I had to figure out how to get it done when I’m least focused,” said Fried, who went 19-5 with a 2.86 ERA last year. Definitely what I was looking for. But when the players went into the game and scored five points in the second inning, it just allowed you to take a deep breath, and it allowed you to just take a deep breath…
“Anyone from one to nine[in the lineup]can beat you. Of course we have the best player in the world hitting, but we also have a lot of players who can support him.”
It was just one game in a long, grueling season, but at least the Yankees’ idea of starting the season over with essentially the same team as last year might work.
“Look, we’re confident. We know they’re confident in their ability to have good at-bats and put up runs. But we’re only one game into this.
“We still have a long way to go to prove it, but I think we have a chance to make it happen.”
Bluesky and X Follow Bob Nightengale at @Bnightengale.
