What Mike Trout did to the Yankees wasn’t just about home runs | Klapisch

Fried, who is supposed to be the Yankees’ last line of defense as long as Gerrit Cole remains on the injured list, lasted 5 1/3 innings. He gave up five earned runs on three hits, three walks and three strikeouts. He was caught without a backup plan “on one of those days when you have to grind through and figure out how to get it done,“ he said.

Although not entirely his fault, the Yankees have lost three of Fried’s five starts this season. As the rotation’s pillar, it was Fried’s responsibility to deliver a shutdown performance after the Yankees’ lucky 11-10 win on Wednesday night.

But the momentum evaporated in the first inning when former Yankee Oswald Peraza slugged a two-run home run over the left field wall. That was the omen. The door was opened not just to the Yankees’ defeat, but to Trout’s historic performance.

The 11-time All-Star went deep off Angel Chivilli in the seventh inning to become the first visiting player to homer on four straight days in any of the three editions of Yankee Stadium. Trout hit five home runs against the Yankees, even outdoing Judge’s own hot streak.

Judge went 5-for-17 against the Angels with four home runs. But even before Trout was done stomping on the Yankees, Judge was already in awe.

“(Trout) is the greatest, he’s the greatest of all-time,” the Captain said. “He’s been fun to watch his whole career.”

Trout accepted Judge’s praise, but naturally refused to gloat. He instead talked about being locked in all week in the Bronx.

“I felt really good coming into the series out of (Cincinnati),” Trout said. “There were some balls that were caught that I wish had fallen in, but my at-bats felt great. They felt better as each game went on.”

The head-to-head display between Trout and Judge was a treasure even for the ticket buyers who’ve been seething at Boone lately. The fans murmured in amazement every time Trout cleared the wall. But the distraction was only temporary.

By the time the Yankees slogged off the field, most of the hardcores had already voted with their feet. The ballpark felt mostly empty.

The Yankees are as lifeless today as they were for those long stretches in 2025. They’re bound to go on a winning streak sooner or later, but we now know the team that boasted MLB’s best record out of the gate also has a soft underbelly.

Problem No. 1: Boone has virtually no weapons against left-handed pitching. The qualifier exists because of Judge, who remains unstoppable when locked in. But the Yankees are hitting just .160 with six home runs against lefties in 197 plate appearances – and Judge has four of those homers.

Problem No. 2: Boone is inflexible with his platoon system. There was no excuse for sitting Rice and Cody Bellinger in favor of Paul Goldschmidt and Randal Grichuk on Tuesday against left-hander Reid Detmers. None.

I get it that Goldschmidt was signed for a reason. He has to play at least occasionally. But was it really necessary for Rice to sit, even if it meant lefty-on-lefty at-bats? Boone needed to make a one-game exception for Rice, one of the Yankees’ best hitters.

As for Grichuk, I’m waiting for general manager Brian Cashman to cut his losses and move on.

Problem No. 3: The Yankees are already sleepwalking.

One scout I spoke to on Monday said, “There’s something missing with that team right now. They’re just not the Yankees.”

Even without specifics, this assessment couldn’t be more accurate. The returns of Cole and Carlos Rodon will help. Ryan Weathers and Will Warren will head to the bullpen and give it legitimacy. Perhaps Anthony Volpe will be an upgrade over Jose Caballero.

The good news is that it’s April. It’s the month for over-reaction. May has a chance to be better.

But the Yankees don’t deserve any slack in the meantime. Trout’s home runs were only the tip of the iceberg.

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