The Yankees entered this winter with two high-ceiling, no-longer-that-young outfield prospects in Jasson Domínguez and Spencer Jones who probably deserved and deserve a shot at extended playing time.
And yet Brian Cashman & Co. filled up the major league outfield by extending a qualifying offer to Trent Grisham, who accepted, and winning a drawn-out free agent competition for Cody Bellinger, who somehow is the second-highest-paid player in baseball this season.
When he opted to retain the 2025 outfield and rely upon the prospects as depth rather than immediate help, Cashman might have had days like Saturday in mind.
After Aaron Judge and Ben Rice did the heavy lifting throughout April, it was Grisham and Bellinger who assumed the load during a 9-4 victory over the Orioles in front of 46,049 — the season’s second sellout, thanks in part to a Max Fried Mandalorian bobblehead giveaway — on a brisk, early May afternoon in The Bronx.
The Yankees (22-11) have won 12 of 14 and are throwing an early haymaker at the Orioles, who entered this series hoping to establish themselves as an AL East contender and thus far have been outscored 17-6.
Baltimore had few answers for Ryan Weathers, who allowed just one earned run on a Pete Alonso homer in five-plus innings before sixth-inning issues, and could not hold down a pair of bats that have become nearly afterthoughts in the Yankees order.
Bellinger entered play hitting .250 with a .755 OPS, acceptable but barely visible within the shadow of Rice and Judge, who have been two of the game’s best hitters and combined for 23 home runs. Grisham entered hitting .155 with a .616 OPS and was an early target for fans who watch box scores rather than games: There were social media complaints about Aaron Boone sticking with Grisham at leadoff, though the patient Grisham had hit into miserable luck through the first month of the season and actually averaged harder contact than he had registered in his breakout 2025 campaign.
On Star Wars Day at the Stadium, Boone found fans’ lack of faith disturbing.
Bellinger and Grisham combined for three home runs, two doubles, six RBIs and six of the Yankees’ 11 hits, reaching base in seven of nine plate appearances to ensure the Yankees added to what is the AL’s best record.
Bellinger finished 4-for-4 with a pair of home runs, a double and an RBI knock in each at-bat, and Grisham 2-for-4 with his own homer, a double and a walk.
It was Bellinger who started the scoring in the second, hitting a moon shot into the right field seats against Kyle Bradish, and both Bellinger and Grisham played key roles in a two-run third.
After José Caballero walked, Grisham smacked a double off the wall in left field to put runners on second and third. Rice struck out for the frame’s second out, and Bradish was on the verge of escaping before a weird play bailed out the Yankees: Judge swung through a pitch that just kept traveling behind him, Adley Rutschman missing the pitch for a passed ball that banged against the backstop. Caballero took advantage and slid home safely, banged up when his jaw hit Bradish’s knee but appearing to be OK.
After Judge was intentionally walked, Bellinger dropped an RBI hustle double into right-center. Bellinger, who struck a $162.5 million pact because he does everything well — including using his brain — noticed both Orioles middle infielders ran to receive a relay throw and no one was covering second.
The scoring was over for the inning, but the Yankees kept adding on in the fourth. After a double from Ryan McMahon, Grisham smoked a 3-2, down-the-middle fastball into the Yankees bullpen to provide a 5-1 edge.
The lead was 6-1 in the fifth, when Bellinger stepped up again and visited the short porch for his second homer of the game and fifth of the season.
The Yankees weathered bullpen issues — Jake Bird, who had done well in inheriting a bases-loaded, no-out jam from Weathers in the sixth and immediately induced a double play from Alonso, followed it up by allowing an RBI double to Samuel Basallo, before Camilo Doval could not hold down Dylan Beavers, who came around to score because he stole two bases in the seventh — and reinflated their lead in a three-run seventh that was keyed by Bellinger again.
After walks from Rice and Judge, Bellinger grounded a single that just sneaked through the middle of the infield. Jazz Chisholm Jr. then smoked a hit into right field and took second when Tyler O’Neill booted the ball.
