3 takeaways from the Yankees' series vs. the Miami Marlins
Yankees first baseman Ben Rice reacts after his ground ball was thrown away, allowing him to advance to second and a run to score, during the third inning against the Miami Marlins at Yankee Stadium on Sunday. Credit: Brad Penner
Despite ending a three-game set against the Marlins with a disappointing 7-6 loss at the Stadium on Sunday, the Yankees won their third straight series to start the season.
The Yankees won, 8-2, in Friday’s home opener and 9-7 on Saturday. They are 7-2, tied with the Brewers and the Dodgers for the best record in MLB.
1. An overall strong start
While Sunday’s loss came in disheartening fashion, with the bullpen blowing a late 4-3 lead and the offense blowing too many chances with runners in scoring position, it would be hard to script the start to the season any better.
After the Yankees’ season-opening sweep of San Francisco, Aaron Judge noted that the club made an emphasis on finishing series with sweeps after struggling to do so the last couple of years.
While they couldn’t get that done against the Marlins, they showed different ways to win, coming back from a 4-0 deficit on Saturday and on Friday providing the shutdown pitching that carried them on their season-opening 5-1 road trip. Losses like Sunday’s will happen, but there’s a lot to like from the Yankees (who are still awaiting major reinforcements in Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon).
2. Rice just rakes
Ben Rice, now with a .370/.528/.852 slash line, has shown flashes that have led many to believe he could become one of the game’s best hitters. He was 3-for-10 against Miami – he did have five walks – but his hits were loud ones: a 110.9-mph, 353-foot solo shot and a 101.1-mph two-run double on Friday, and a three-run homer Sunday that left the bat at 110 mph and traveled 410 feet, well into the second deck. He is among the game’s hardest hitters as well, ranking in the 99th percentile in average exit velocity this season and the 95th percentile in 2025, according to Baseball Savant.
Aaron Boone said Friday: “I think he’s a middle-of-the-order hitter and is going to be for a long time, and hopefully that means he’s in those conversations [as one of baseball’s best hitters] because he keeps getting better, too.”
3. Bottom of the order struggles
The series was a rough one for the Yankees’ Nos. 6-9 hitters: Jazz Chisholm Jr., Austin Wells, Jose Caballero and Ryan McMahon. The quartet, which started each of the three games against Miami in that order in the bottom of the lineup, went a combined 4-for-39 (.103) with nine walks and a hit by pitch in the series. Chisholm is 7-for-36 (.194), Wells is 4-for-24 (.167), Caballero is 4-for-31 (.129) and McMahon is 2-for-23 (.087).
Said Boone: “We need to get some more production there, and we will.”
Ben Dickson is Newsday Sports' general assignment reporter. He joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
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