Curse of the Schlittler
Don't fear the Schlittler
Another week down. We came out with more wins than losses, but the losses definitely hurt.
We started the series against the Angels on 4/14, where we fell 7–1. Mike Trout demolished us, and it was a rough first inning for Ryan Weathers. The Angels got dominant pitching from Reid Detmers, and throughout the game Ben Rice drove in our only run. The Yankees finished with just five hits and one run.
On 4/15, we bounced back with a 5–4 win. Aaron Judge hit his 7th home run of the season in the first inning. Trout gave the Angels the lead in the 5th, making it 5–3. In the 9th, Jazz reached first on an error, Wells walked, and Caballero lined a ball to left-center, allowing Jazz and Wells to score for a walk-off win—exciting, to say the least.
On 4/16, it was another rough loss, 11–4. It was also a tough outing for Max Fried, who allowed his first home run. Judge hit another homer—a two-run shot that gave the Yankees a 3–2 lead in the 3rd. It was also the 61st game in which Judge and Stanton have homered in the same game. An error by Rosario in the 6th proved costly, as that’s when the Angels took the lead for good. Ben Rice hit his 5th home run of the year, but a grand slam by Jo Adell sealed the game.
On 4/17, the Yankees won a simpler one, 4–2. There was no scoring until the 4th inning, when Ben Rice hit a two-run homer. There was an error by Grisham in the 6th. The game was tied 2–2 in the 8th, but Rice got on base and McMahon followed with a two-run home run to close it out.
The 4/18 game was a big one—the first game of the series against the Royals—and the Yankees won 13–4. Escarra tripled on an error by the Royals. Rosario hit a two-run homer, Bellinger homered in the 3rd, Ben Rice added another, and Bellinger later hit a two-run homer as well. It was a huge day of home runs. The Royals scored twice in the 7th to make it 10–2 at the time. Escarra later added a two-run triple. It was also a great outing for Will Warren: 7 innings, 5 hits, 2 runs, 11 strikeouts, 0 walks on 93 pitches. Bellinger had a big day too, driving in five runs.
Finally, on 4/19, the Yankees won 7–0 with Ryan Weathers starting. Stanton was on the bench getting some rest ahead of the Boston series. Judge hit a two-run homer—his 90th first-inning home run, the 3rd most in Yankees history behind Mantle (103) and Babe Ruth (126). Ben Rice recorded his fourth straight game with a home run, and Grisham added one in the 5th to make it 7–0. The Yankees are now on a three-game winning streak.
Our new segment, Pinstripe Rewind, takes us back in time in Yankees history—highlighting players, games, and moments that shaped the franchise.
This week, 49 years ago on April 20, 1977, after a rough 2–8 start to the season, Yankees manager Billy Martin randomly pulled his starting lineup out of a hat. The Yankees went on to win that game—and then 11 of their next 12.
The lineup was:
Willie Randolph (2B)
Thurman Munson (C)
Reggie Jackson (RF)
Graig Nettles (3B)
Mickey Rivers (CF)
Roy White (LF)
Carlos May (DH)
Chris Chambliss (1B)
Bucky Dent (SS)
Lastly, our Player Spotlight of the Week is José Caballero.
The 29-year-old from Panama is currently the starting shortstop while Anthony Volpe is injured, but he can also play second and third base. He attended Chipola College in Marianna, Florida. Caballero is signed through 2026 on a one-year, $2 million deal.
He was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2017 in the 7th round (202nd overall) of the MLB June Amateur Draft. His 2025 stats include a .236 average, .339 OBP, and a .686 OPS.
Caballero has previously played for the Mariners and Rays, and he is a two-time AL stolen base leader (2024: 44, 2025: 49).
That’s all for now—I’ll see you… on the field.