It was an unforgettable Opening Day for Yankee fans in the Bronx, with records broken, debut performances in pinstripes, and a victory for the home team.
After a loss to the Blue Jays in last year’s home opener, the Bronx Bombers were eager to kick off their American League pennant defense with a strong start. However, they faced a tough challenge in the form of the Milwaukee Brewers, a team that finished 2024 with 93 wins and a divisional title.
Opening Day in Yankee Stadium was set to be a crisp affair, with the sun shining down on the field. The Yankees couldn’t have asked for a better beginning. Carlos Rodón started the game with a three-pitch strikeout against Jackson Chourio, the Brewers’ young sensation, who struck out five times during his first 2025 appearance.
The Yankees made their mark early, with Austin Wells, newly slotted as leadoff hitter, sending a high fastball from Freddy Peralta into the short porch in right field for a home run, giving the Yankees a 1-0 lead. This was a record-breaking hit, as Wells became the first Yankee to homer leading off on Opening Day and the first catcher to do so in history. Just an inning later, Anthony Volpe, the New Jersey-born shortstop, followed suit with another homer to the same area of the park, pushing the Yankees’ lead to 2-0.
Not to be outdone, Vinny Capra, hoping to make his mark on the majors, launched a high fastball over the left-field wall, extending the Yankees’ lead. Meanwhile, the Brewers started to find a rhythm on the mound, as Freddy Peralta tallied up strikeouts, finishing with 8 on the day.
Despite the Brewers’ pitchers finding success, they struggled offensively until the top of the sixth inning when they loaded the bases. With Rodón leaving the game after seven strikeouts, Tim Hill came in to get the Yankees out of the jam.
The Yankees’ relief pitching, led by Mark Leiter Jr. and Luke Weaver, shut down the Brewers in the later innings. Aaron Judge didn’t get his first hit of the season until the seventh inning, but it helped push the Yankees’ lead to 4-1 with a Cody Bellinger sacrifice fly.
Though it looked like a Yankee victory was in the bag, the Brewers made it interesting in the ninth inning. With a 4-1 deficit and Devin Williams, the Brewers’ former closer and two-time All-Star, on the mound, they managed to make a push. Williams gave up a sacrifice fly that brought in Joey Ortiz, cutting the lead to 4-2. With two outs and runners on second and third, Williams battled through a tough at-bat, throwing 36 pitches before finally securing the outs on Chourio and Christian Yelich, sealing the Yankees’ 4-2 win.
Despite the close call, it was a successful Opening Day for the Yankees. They won the game, saw three key offseason acquisitions make their debut, and enjoyed strong performances in both batting and relief pitching. The Brewers, however, struggled to keep pace in the middle and late innings after the Yankees added insurance runs.
The series will resume after a day off, with Max Fried making his Pinstripe debut against former Yankee favorite Nestor Cortes in a Southpaw Showdown on Saturday.
