The New York Yankees started off their 2026 season with a bang. The 7-0 blanking of the San Francisco Giants made a statement, putting the rest of the American League on notice.
The Yanks rode a five-run second inning to open up a lead the Giants would not even come close to. But the big name on Wednesday night in California was Max Fried. The Yankees’ Season Opening starter tossed 6.1 innings, striking out four, while allowing just two hits. New York’s bullpen allowed one hit the rest of the way.
That’s the sort of performance the Yankees were looking for right from the start. The club is looking to continue its strong play as they look to duke it out with the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East this season.
Fried’s strong start was a phenomenal way of establishing Yankee pitching as a strength. With the arrival of Gerrit Cole at some point this season, New York figures to be in the hunt all season long.
What’s more interesting is the fact that the Yankees put up seven runs on the board without leaving the park. That’s an encouraging sign as scoring runs without overly relying on the long ball is a big plus.
But there might be some slight concerns
Yankees’ Slugger Gets Golden Sombrero in Season Opener
Perennial MVP candidate Aaron Judge got off to a dubious start on Wednesday night. The 2025 AL MVP struck out four times against the Giants, earning a golden sombrero.
While it’s not uncommon for sluggers like Judge to hit speed bumps, it wasn’t exactly the sort of start to the season he and the Yankees would have wanted.
That said, Judge’s remarkable consistency has not gone unnoticed. Judge will certainly bounce back. And that’s something that should put the rest of the Majors on notice. The 33-year-old has hit 50+ home runs in three of the past four seasons. That’s why the Yankees’ slugger should pick up steam soon.
That situation, nevertheless, does raise one other concern.
Giants Pitching Fans 12
Despite the seven-run outburst, the Yankees’ hitters struck out 12 times against Giants pitchers. Giants starter Logan Webb, who got tagged with all seven runs, struck out seven over five innings. San Francisco’s bullpen fanned another five in four innings of work.
As such, some concerns may arise regarding the Yankees’ hitters’ strikeout rate. The Yanks had the third-most strikeouts last season, fanning 1,463 times. Only the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Angels whiffed more times than New York.
While it’s natural that home-run hitters strike out more often than contact hitters, the hope is that the trend will change this season. As the Giants showed, New York hitters are susceptible to strikeouts.
In that regard, it may only be a matter of time before that situation catches up to the club. It’s unreasonable to assume the Yankees can score seven runs every night. That’s why there will be a point where a high strikeout rate could bring the Yankee offense down.
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