The New York Yankees wrapped up a frosty three-game set at Comerica Park with a much-needed 4-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday afternoon, avoiding a sweep thanks to Max Fried’s dominant outing and a timely offensive spark.
Playing all three games under the sun due to bitter early April weather in the Motor City, the Yankees struggled mightily at the plate in the first two matchups, including a complete-game-shutout in Game 2. Despite the offensive woes, Paul Goldschmidt and Ben Rice remained bright spots—each continuing to show poise and consistency at the dish even as runs were hard to come by. Goldschmidt, in particular, was locked in, tallying seven hits in 13 at-bats over the series.
Game 1: Tigers 6, Yankees 2
The Yankees dropped the series opener in Detroit on April 7, falling 6–2 to the Tigers at Comerica Park. Carlos Rodón ran into trouble in the third, walking two batters before Andy Ibáñez made him pay with a three-run homer. Rodón ended up going 6.1 innings, giving up six runs (five earned) on just five hits, while striking out eight and walking three.
Detroit kept things rolling in the fifth when Justyn-Henry Malloy came through with a two-run single after a Yankees fielding miscue. On the other side, Casey Mize kept the Yankees in check, tossing six innings of one-run ball with four hits, six strikeouts, and three walks.
The Yankees couldn’t get much going offensively, squandering chances with some baserunning mistakes—including a costly pickoff at third—and a couple of defensive lapses. Aaron Judge drove in one of the Yankees’ two runs, but it wasn’t enough to climb back in it.
Rodon Final Line:
6 IP | 4 H | 5 ER | 3 BB | 8 K
Game 2: Tigers 5, Yankees 0
Tuesday’s game brought even more offensive frustration, with the Yankees falling 5-0 in a game where they managed just three hits. Detroit’s Ace and the reigning 2024 AL Cy Young Tarik Skubal stymied the lineup over six strong innings, and the Tigers’ reliever Brant Hurter kept the shutout intact.
Carlos Carrasco had a tough outing in his second start, especially unraveling in the bottom of the fourth inning. After holding things down early, the veteran right-hander gave up four runs overall, with the bulk of the damage coming from the long ball. Three of those four runs came via solo home runs—all in that fourth frame—as the opposing lineup teed off on Carrasco’s pitches up in the zone. Whether it was a matter of command slipping or hitters adjusting the second time through the order, Carrasco just couldn’t keep the ball in the park, and it proved costly in a game that quickly got away from him.
This loss marked New York’s first shutout defeat of the season.
Carrasco Final Line:
4.1 IP | 6 H | 4 ER | 1 BB | 3 K
Game 3: Yankees 4, Tigers 3
What began as a tense pitchers’ duel between former Harvard-Westlake High School (Los Angeles) teammates Jack Flaherty and Max Fried turned into a late-game offensive breakout for the Yankees, who topped the Tigers 4–3 in Detroit to take the rubber match and head back to the Bronx with a series win.
The scoreboard stayed quiet until the seventh inning, when Ben Rice broke the silence with a towering two-run blast over the center field wall—his third homer of the young season. That shot not only gave the Yankees the lead but seemed to open the floodgates.
Rice Rakes 💪 pic.twitter.com/WUGiWMKgly
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 9, 2025
In the ninth, J.C. Escarra and Oswaldo Cabrera both reached base after getting plunked, setting the stage for Aaron Judge to deliver a clutch two-run single to left. That knock scored pinch-runner Pablo Reyes and Cabrera, pushing the lead to 4–0.
Detroit mounted a rally in the bottom of the ninth off closer Devin Williams, scratching across two runs to cut the deficit in half. But Mark Leiter Jr. entered with the tying run at the plate and shut the door, securing the save and sealing the win.
Max Fried was electric on the mound, spinning an absolute gem across seven shutout innings. The lefty was in full command, striking out 11 Tigers.
Fried Final Line:
7 IP | 5 H | 0 ER | 0 BB | 11 K
Looking Ahead
Looking Ahead
The Yankees head back to the Bronx for a six-game homestand that begins with a tough test against the 8-3 San Francisco Giants. New York will look to carry Wednesday’s momentum into the weekend series, with continued production from Goldschmidt and Rice key to setting the tone. Following the Giants, the Kansas City Royals come to town—a team the Yankees defeated in last year’s ALDS, but not without a fight. This will be the first meeting between the two clubs since that hard-fought postseason series, adding a layer of intrigue to what should be a competitive three-game set in the Bronx.
