2026 Yankees Offensive Barrage Earns Them 17th Win of the Season
On Friday, April 24th, the New York Yankees traveled to Houston, Texas, to take on the Astros. In their first meeting of the 2026 season, New York cooked Houston with a huge offensive barrage during a 12-4 win. This is the Yankees’ 17th win and the third game of the season where they’ve scored 10 or more runs. During Saturday’s matchup, Ryan Weathers will take the mound for New York and Mike Burrows for Houston. Both pitchers will be aiming to win their second game of the year.
Even Without Judge, the Yankees Offense Dominates
During the win, Aaron Judge did not record a hit in two at-bats, but was also walked three times. Even without the three-time AL MVP, New York had an extremely impressive offensive performance. Jazz Chisholm Jr. recorded four RBIs while Ben Rice and Jose Caballero had two RBIs each. While the Astros have struggled throughout the first month of the 2026 season, their refined history with New York should have made this a more compelling matchup. Yet, the Yankees’ offense was truly able to showcase themselves and emerge further in the American League as the biggest threat.
Will Warren Continues to Win & Shine on the Mound
Even though he gave up two runs on seven hits and a walk, Yankees starter Will Warren pitched six innings and struck out six in his third win of the season, remaining undefeated on the mound. While this outing wasn’t his best from the 2026 season, the 26-year-old continues to make huge strides in his game. Fernando Cruz and Ryan Yarbrough followed Warren’s performance with a combined five strikeouts. With the Yankees’ offensive barrage and the pitching staff clicking, New York continues a seven-game win streak.
Ben Rice Should Be a 2026 All-Star
During the 2025 season, first baseman Ben Rice hit 26 home runs. So far, he’s at nine on the year, recently hitting one on Friday night against Colton Gordon. At times, Rice has been the second-best hitter on the team next to Judge. The 27-year-old leads the team with 20 RBIs as well as batting average, OBS, slugging percentage, and OPS. He should be named an all-star for the first time in his career. That’s if Rice stays healthy and continues to demolish the baseball at the plate. The Yankees’ first baseman has been a key piece to the team’s success over the first 26 games of the 2026 season. An all-star recognition would certainly boost his confidence and play going forward.
