NEW YORK — Jacob deGrom had the Yankees down three runs before they took a swing. Their starter needed 37 pitches to survive the first inning. The bullpen was stretched thin.
The New York Yankees did not care.
Three home runs. A 7-4 win. Their fifth straight victory. Their 15th win in 17 games. And a bullpen performance that stands alone in franchise history.
This is what the 2026 Yankees look like when everything works at once.
Rodriguez survives a chaotic first, settles in
Rookie Elmer Rodriguez walked the first two Rangers he faced. A single from Josh Jung loaded the bases with nobody out. The Yankees were already in trouble before Joc Pederson hit a sacrifice fly, Ezequiel Duran singled in a run, and Jung scored on a wild pitch. Three runs scored. Danny Jansen grounded out to end the inning after Rodriguez had thrown 37 pitches.
It could have been much worse. Rodriguez regrouped. He allowed no more runs over the next 3 2/3 innings, finishing with six hits, two strikeouts and four walks across 4 2/3 innings of work. It was not a clean outing. But it kept the Yankees close long enough for the offense to respond.
Rodriguez was optioned back to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after the game. Carlos Rodon is set to return from the injured list for the Yankees’ next turn through the rotation.
The comeback: Bellinger sets the table, McMahon ties it
The Yankees did not panic. Cody Bellinger doubled off the top of the right-center field fence after Aaron Judge singled in the first inning, cutting the deficit to 3-1. That planted the seed.
The tie came in the second inning. Ryan McMahon dug in against deGrom and fought through an eight-pitch battle before driving a two-run homer over the fence. It was his third homer of the season. The game was level at 3-3.
Ryan McMahon joined Yankees teammate Giancarlo Stanton, Freddie Freeman and Austin Riley as the only players to go deep against deGrom at least three times. He finished 2-for-4 on the night.
McMahon’s recent surge is worth noting. He is hitting .304 with an .877 OPS over his last 17 games after posting a .119 average and a .379 OPS through his first 17. The cold start that frustrated Yankees fans has turned into one of the lineup’s hotter bats.
Chisholm’s 413-foot statement off deGrom
The lead changed in the sixth. Jazz Chisholm stepped in against deGrom with the game still tied. DeGrom threw a 98 mph fastball. Chisholm launched it 413 feet into the right-field seats. The bat flip that followed traveled nearly as far.
Yankees 4, Rangers 3.
It was Chisholm’s second career homer off deGrom. He also went deep against deGrom on April 10, 2021 at Citi Field off a 100.4 mph fastball. Chisholm went without a home run in his first 23 games this season, batting .173 with a .498 OPS through April 22. Since then, he has gone 13-for-45 with a .908 OPS and four home runs in 12 games.
The clubhouse energy has matched the on-field results. After the win, Chisholm described what the Yankees’ dugout feels like right now.
“Every time someone goes up to the plate, we expect them to get a hit,” Chisholm said. “Every time a pitcher gets called into a game, we expect them to get out of every jam. The positivity in the clubhouse right now is just super crazy. Everybody’s on a real high horse right now and we just want to ride it out as long as we can.”
The bullpen record that defines this win
After Rodriguez departed, Brent Headrick, Fernando Cruz and David Bednar combined to strand every runner they inherited. Eight inherited runners. Zero scored.
That is only the second time the Yankees have done that in the expansion era, which dates to 1961. It is among the rarest bullpen performances in franchise history.
Headrick earned the win by striking out pinch hitter Sam Haggerty with the bases loaded in the fifth. Cruz navigated traffic in the middle innings. David Bednar retired Josh Jung with the bases loaded in the eighth, then finished the final five outs for his 10th save.
Boone was asked how he processed a night where his bullpen was short and his starter struggled in the first inning.
“Unbelievable game,” Boone said. “In the first there, we’re short in the pen and you’re just thinking of ways you hopefully can finish the game. Credit to Elmer for picking himself up and giving us 4 2/3 after a rough start. And then so many good at-bats to pull us back and take the lead. Then the pen did a great job of just handing it off to one another. That’s a really good one right there.”
Boone also spoke about a Yankees bullpen that is getting better with every outing.
“I think they’re just better than everyone thinks,” Boone said.
Bellinger, Goldschmidt finish the job
Bellinger extended the lead in the seventh. The Rangers walked Judge intentionally for his fourth free pass of the season with two outs and the bases loaded. Then Bellinger lined a two-run double off Jalen Beeks on the very next pitch. His second double of the night. Yankees 6, Rangers 3.
Paul Goldschmidt, starting at first base for the injured Ben Rice, hit his 374th career homer in the eighth to close the scoring at 7-4.
Bednar’s save was his 10th of the season. DeGrom allowed six runs on seven hits across 6 1/3 innings. It was the most runs the two-time Cy Young winner had allowed since May 17, 2019 for the Mets at Miami.
Goldschmidt captured the lineup’s depth after the win.
“It can’t just be one or two guys,” Goldschmidt said. “It can’t just be one way we beat teams. We got to be able to do it in all different ways, and we’ve done a good job so far.”
What these Yankees numbers mean historically
The Yankees are 25-11 through 36 games. This is the 17th time in franchise history, excluding strike-shortened seasons, that the Yankees have won at least 25 of their first 36 games. In the previous 16 occasions, all 16 teams made the playoffs. Fifteen won the division. Fourteen reached the World Series. Eleven won it all.
Over the last 16 games, the Yankees have outscored their opponents 106 to 40. That is the most runs scored and fewest runs allowed in the majors in that span. Their last-17-games stats rank first in baseball in runs scored per game (6.65), home runs (37), OPS (.906) and runs allowed per game (2.59).
Bednar put the simplest frame on what this Yankees team has become.
“It’s a really special group,” Bednar said, “and up and down the lineup, there’s no breaks.”
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
