Yankees Open Season with Unconventional Loss

SAN FRANCISCO — It’s not every day you see Aaron Judge go 0-for-5 with four strikeouts, as he did in the season opener on Wednesday. In fact, he didn’t experience such a struggle at the plate during all of last year, a season where he earned MVP honors for the second consecutive time. He had only been hitless in five at-bats once before, which makes this performance all the more surprising.

This unusual outing for Judge wasn’t the main headline during the Giants’ 7-0 defeat at Oracle Park. The Yankees managed to produce runs without him, showcasing their depth as they capitalized on the struggles of the bottom half of the standings, which had faltered for most of the previous year.

Early in the second inning, Jose Caballero got things rolling with a two-out double against ace Logan Webb. Following that, Ryan McMahon, who had been inconsistent after his trade from Colorado last season, adjusted his swing this spring and hit a two-run shot into center field, putting the Yankees ahead 3-0.

The Yankees kept their momentum going with a ninth-inning single from Austin Wells, and Trent Grisham’s triple to right-center stretched the lead to 5-0. It seems that with the confidence in their core offense, the development of McMahon and Wells could make them an even stronger contender.

“We have the best players in the world,” remarked Max Fried after the game. “But we also have a lot of players to support him.”

With Anthony Volpe sidelined due to offseason surgery for a torn labrum, Caballero stepped in as the starting shortstop. Meanwhile, Wells, who was a leadoff batter the previous year against Milwaukee, is now looking for consistent playing time this season.

When asked if Wells would stay at the back of the lineup, manager Aaron Boone replied, “We’ll see.”

“As long as I stay in the lineup, I don’t care,” Wells said, expressing his focus on contributing to the team’s success.

Wells reflected positively on his performance, which included two hits and a walk. “It was a good start,” he stated, hoping to build on that moving forward.

Looking ahead to the second game, he’ll face left-handed pitcher Robbie Ray, though Boone observed that he might be the only southpaw Wells encounters on the road.

The Yankees are counting on Judge to lead the offense, but they’re also eager to see more from McMahon, whose OPS last year with the Yankees was .641, a decline from a .717 OPS with the Rockies, including time at the hit-friendly Coors Field.

Before the season opener, Boone acknowledged that McMahon showed improvement in his batting during the latter part of spring training, even if tangible results were lacking at the time. If the overall offense clicks, they might not need much more than McMahon’s solid defense at third base. Yet, they still believe he has potential that exceeds what was displayed as one of the lesser offensive third basemen in the league.

Boone mentioned that it’s unlikely some left-handed players will start against Ray on Friday. This offseason, the Yankees made efforts to balance their right-handed lineup, retaining players like Paul Goldschmidt, Randal Grichuk, and Amed Rosario. Typically, Boone prefers to align against left-handed pitchers whenever possible, but Wednesday saw Chisholm Jr., McMahon, and Wells filling out the lower part of the batting order.