Yankees' Opening Night vs. Giants: Here are 3 things to watch
MESA, ARIZONA - MARCH 23: Trent Grisham #12 of the New York Yankees bats against the Chicago Cubs during the second inning of the spring training game at Sloan Park on March 23, 2026 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) Credit: Getty Images/Christian Petersen
SAN FRANCISCO – The Yankees begin their quest to break a World Series title drought that dates to 2009 on Wednesday night at Oracle Park. Max Fried, for the second straight season, will start the season-opener, squaring off against Logan Webb of the Giants.
Here are three things to watch from the Yankees on Opening Night:
1. Max on the mound
Fried, because ace Gerrit Cole is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, will start the Yankees’ season-opener, as he did in 2025 (Cole also began last year on the injured list). The lefthander did not have a standout spring, posting a 4.40 ERA in three Grapefruit League starts. That isn’t particularly relevant for a veteran like Fried, who walked three in three scoreless innings in a fourth spring start against Team Panama that doesn’t count as an official part of the Grapefruit League. But Fried is coming off a career-high in innings (195 1/3), and whether that impacts him in any way does bear watching in the early part of the season.
2. Trent Grisham in centerfield
No player will be under more scrutiny from the Yankees fanbase to start the season than Grisham, who in November accepted the $22.05 million qualifying offer. That, along with Cody Bellinger re-signing, effectively blocked two fan-favorites, Jasson Dominguez and top outfield prospect Spencer Jones, from making the club. It caused a low roar of discontent even before the spring started -- well before both Dominguez and Jones had far better springs than Grisham, which raised the roar to a fever pitch. Grisham, among the mentally toughest players on the Yankees, nonetheless could use a good start to the year to keep that roar to a minimum.
3. ABS reps
Yankees-Giants is a standalone game Wednesday – Opening Day for the rest of the league is Thursday – meaning the two clubs will officially welcome the much-discussed ABS (automated ball-strike) system to big-league games that count for the first time. The system, which allows two challenges per team per game (teams keep their challenges as long as they’re correct) was in use throughout spring training this year with few hitches (though it’s not as universally popular among players as many believe). Aaron Boone said at the start of the spring he wouldn’t put restrictions on any of his players in terms of challenging, though it would be surprising to see any Yankees pitchers doing so.
Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
