SAN FRANCISCO — Yankees Continue Winning Streak
The Yankees’ impressive scoreless streak has come to an end, but their winning momentum remains intact.
After starting the season with 20 innings without allowing a run, the Yankees conceded one against the Giants. However, their strong offensive output and solid pitching from the bullpen proved enough to secure a 3-1 victory at Oracle Park on Saturday, completing a three-game sweep and marking a third consecutive season starting at 3-0.
“That’s my goal,” said Aaron Judge, who homered for the second game in a row. “This has been a challenge for us in recent years—finishing out series. So we focused on that today; we knew we had to wrap things up.”
After impressive starts from Max Fried and Cam Schritter, who combined for over 11 innings without giving up a run, Will Warren kept the Giants to one run over 4⅓ innings on Saturday.
The bullpen took it from there. A combination of Brent Headrick, Jake Byrd, Tim Hill, and David Bednar handled the closing duties effectively, ensuring the win ahead of a rare day off in Seattle on Sunday.
Ben Rice, who hit a two-run double in the third inning, remarked, “It was fantastic. We had some close games, but everyone really stepped up—great defense, clutch pitching, and hitting. A fabulous start to the season.”
While the bullpen has had its questions to address early on, it’s also shown promise with a solid defensive showing and an initial total of 11 scoreless innings.
In the ninth inning, Bednar faced some pressure as the first two runners reached base. However, he managed to strike out Harrison Bader and induced a double play from Patrick Bailey to secure the game. This marked the fourth double play for the Yankees, three of which occurred in the last four innings.
Bird notably stood out with a five-out appearance. After entering in the sixth inning, he allowed a single but quickly regained control, striking out Willie Adames and inducing a double play from Bader.
Meanwhile, Hill also made effective use of a double play to exit the eighth inning, striking out former Red Sox player Rafael Devers, known for his rivalry with the Yankees.
Austin Wells, who was behind the plate for all 27 innings in this series, played a crucial role by navigating the automatic ball strike system challenges that aided both Bird and Hill.
Warren had a tough start but managed to limit the damage after conceding the only Giants’ run of the weekend in the third inning. He showed resilience, retiring the next three batters, two by strikeout, stifling what could have turned into a momentum shift for San Francisco.
“Winning is never easy,” commented manager Aaron Boone after notching his 700th career win. “I’ll take whatever I can get. But hey, it’s still March.”
