NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Yankees kicked off their American League pennant defense with a 4-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers, highlighted by Austin Wells making history as the first catcher to hit a leadoff home run on Opening Day.
Carlos Rodón (1-0) stepped up in place of injured ace Gerrit Cole, allowing just one run on four hits over 5 2/3 strong innings. His performance featured 13 swing-and-miss pitches, nine coming on sliders.
The Yankees’ offense came alive early, with Wells launching a 2-0 fastball into the right-field seats off Freddy Peralta (0-1) in the first inning—a homer that wouldn’t have cleared the fence in any other MLB ballpark. Anthony Volpe followed with a solo shot in the second, while Aaron Judge’s RBI double and Cody Bellinger’s sacrifice fly in the seventh added insurance runs.
On the Brewers’ side, Vinny Capra hit his first career home run in the third, while rookie Isaac Collins battled through a nine-pitch at-bat with the bases loaded in the sixth before grounding into an inning-ending forceout.
In the ninth, Yankees closer Devin Williams loaded the bases with no outs but held firm, giving up only a sacrifice fly before striking out Jackson Chourio and Christian Yelich to secure the save.
The game also included a moment of silence for Miller Gardner, the late 14-year-old son of former Yankee Brett Gardner, and a tribute to legendary Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker, who passed away in January.
Key Stats & What’s Next
- Wells’ leadoff homer was a historic moment, as the Yankees had never previously started a game with a catcher in the leadoff spot in 19,451 games (19,014 regular season + 437 postseason), per Elias Sports Bureau.
- Max Fried is set to make his Yankees debut on Saturday, while Nestor Cortes returns to New York for his first start with the Brewers—sporting a fresh blond hairstyle ahead of his highly anticipated appearance.
