When & Where To Watch
Tonight: Coverage on YES & the YES App begins at 6:00 p.m. with the Pregame Show
Tomorrow: Coverage on YES & the YES App begins at 3:00 p.m. with Yankees Batting Practice Today
Sunday: Coverage on YES & the YES App begins at 12:30 p.m. with Yankees Batting Practice Today
Pinstriped Pulse
At 25-14, the Yankees have the second-best record in the American League behind the 24-12 Orioles. With a .333 batting average, Juan Soto is tied with Houston’s Jeremy Peña for second in the AL, trailing only the .353 mark of Cleveland’s Steven Kwan, who was just lost for at least four weeks due to a strained left hamstring. Soto leads the AL outright in OBP (.438) and RBI (33). Austin Wells is batting .321 in 28 AB since April 24. Anthony Rizzo has hit safely in five of his last six games, and so has Giancarlo Stanton, with three of those hits going for extra bases. Volpe has homered twice in his last three games.
How ‘Bout That
Aaron Judge hit one of the most majestic home runs of his career against the Astros on Thursday! His eighth inning drive off Ryan Pressly traveled 473 feet, and according to Statcast, it’s the third-longest ever for No. 99. His only homers longer both approached 500 feet – a 496-foot blast off his current teammate Marcus Stroman in a game against Toronto on Sept. 30, 2017 and a 495-foot drive off Logan Verrett in a matchup with Baltimore on June 11, 2017. You were well aware already, but his blast versus Houston is a reminder to never miss any of Judge’s trips to the plate – you never know when he might unleash his prolific power!
Know The Foe
The Rays are facing the Yankees for the second time this year after dropping two out of three games at the Stadium in mid-April. Those games started a rough stretch for Tampa Bay in which the team lost nine out of 12, but entering this series Kevin Cash’s team has won five of its last six. Isaac Paredes is on a roll, batting .360 with three home runs since April 23. The Rays offense just got a key batter back in Josh Lowe, who missed Tampa Bay’s first 35 games of the season due to a strained oblique muscle. Randy Arozarena continues to struggle, batting just .147 this season. He’s recorded a hit in four of his last six games, but the All-Star hasn’t had a multi-hit game since March 30, Tampa Bay’s third game of the season.
Probable Pitchers
Clarke Schmidt will start tonight’s opener opposite 23-year-old Taj Bradley, who pitched in 23 games last season and is making his season debut, having recovered from a strained pectoral muscle. Bradley takes the place of Ryan Pepiot, who went on the 15-day injured list Wednesday due to a lower leg contusion he suffered when he was hit by a line drive Sunday against the Mets. Nestor Cortes and Zack Littell are lined up for tomorrow’s game. Luis Gil gets the call for the Yanks in the series finale after allowing just one run over 12.1 innings in his previous two starts combined.
The Story Of My Number
A new show featuring some of your favorite Yankees greats is streaming now on the YES App! Hosted by Gracie Cashman, The Story of My Number presented by New York Lottery showcases pinstriped icons talking about their uniform numbers and other digits that mark significant moments and achievements in their lives. The debut episode featuring Aaron Boone is currently available, then new episodes will drop on the YES App every Thursday, with upcoming editions spotlighting Tino Martinez, Andy Pettitte, Don Mattingly, Nick Swisher and CC Sabathia.