The road to redemption is a long one, but it began in The Bronx on Thursday for the Yankees in encouraging fashion.
Austin Wells and Anthony Volpe, two homegrown talents the Yankees hope to be cornerstones, both homered. Carlos Rodón, who needs to step up with injuries ravaging the rotation, did just that. And a bullpen that has the chance to be the strength of the team delivered on that promise, even with a dicey top of the ninth.
All at least for one game.
The Yankees are 1-0 after a 4-2 win over the Brewers on Opening Day in front of a sellout crowd of 46,208 who spent most of the afternoon happy before the tense final inning.
Austin Wells celebrates his solo home run in the first inning on Thursday. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
New closer Devin Williams, facing the team that traded him to the Yankees in December, loaded the bases with no outs. Brice Turang hit a sacrifice fly to make it 4-2 before Williams struck out Jackson Chourio and Christian Yelich on full counts to end it.
In their first game since a crushing Game 5 defeat to the Dodgers in the World Series, and then an injury-riddled spring, the Yankees began the regular season on the right foot.
Rodón, getting the Opening Day start with Gerrit Cole out for the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery, turned in a sharp outing. The left-hander struck out seven across 5 ¹/₃ innings of one-run ball, getting the shorthanded rotation off to a strong start.
Devin Williams reacts after striking out Christian Yelich to seal the Yankees’ Opening Day win on March 27, 2025. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
Carlos Rodón throws to the Milwaukee Brewers in the first inning during Opening Day. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
Wells was already making history Thursday by becoming the first Yankees catcher to bat leadoff. Then he made some more, becoming the first catcher with a leadoff home run on Opening Day in MLB history when he drilled Freddy Peralta’s high fastball to the short porch in right field for a 1-0 lead.
An inning later, Volpe followed his close friend’s lead by also taking Peralta deep to right field to put the Yankees up 2-0. Volpe hit the ball hard all spring without much to show for it, but got rewarded immediately on Thursday.
The only damage Rodón allowed came in the third inning, when Vinny Capra pounced on a high fastball and roped it into the left field seats to cut the Yankees’ lead to 2-1.
Rodón later gave the Yankees a scare — and a flashback to the nightmare fifth inning of Game 5 of the World Series — when he lost his footing around the bag after a late break to cover first base on a grounder to Paul Goldschmidt in the fourth inning. He was tended to by a trainer but stayed in the game and later redeemed himself, making a nice play on a swinging bunt to get out of the inning.
Anthony Volpe (L) celebrates his solo home run with teammate Ben Rice. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
Rhys Hoskins drew a 10-pitch walk with one on and one out in the sixth inning to end Rodón’s day after 89 pitches. Lefty Tim Hill came in from the bullpen and got the second out before Joey Ortiz’s dribbler down the third base line loaded the bases. But Hill buckled down and eventually got another ground ball to escape the jam.
The Yankees gave their bullpen some breathing room in the seventh inning when Aaron Judge ripped a ground ball that hit off third base and flew over the third baseman’s head into left field for an RBI double.
Cody Bellinger, in his Yankees debut, came up next and hit a sacrifice fly that scored Oswaldo Cabrera from third to make it 4-1.
