In a thrilling finale between the Yankees and Padres, pitchers Max Fried and Dylan Cease showcased their talents in a duel that ended with a 4-3 walk-off win for the Yankees. Cease, who had been struggling, delivered a commanding performance, yielding only one hit until the seventh inning. Fried also impressed, particularly with his fastball repertoire. Late-game heroics from Trent Grisham and reliever Devin Williams led to a dramatic tying home run and ultimately set the stage for J.C. Escarra's sacrifice fly, clinching the Yankees’ first victory of the season in extra innings.
First, the pitcher's duel. A misconception I had about Fried before the Yankees signed him was that he wasn't much of a fastball pitcher. That is not true: both varieties of his fastball are great.
Dylan Cease, struggling entering this contest, used the same formula to even more success. He relies on his four-seam fastball to a greater extent than Fried, but his command of the pitch has been spotty at times.
Both pitchers matched wits with one run each, and Cease only allowed his first hit on a Cody Bellinger home run in the seventh.
A game-tying home run from Trent Grisham and a heroic 10th-inning performance from the much-maligned Devin Williams set the table for the Yankees' first walk-off win of 2025.
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