It's early, but Yankees' Opening Day win shows there's plenty to like about 2026 team

Maybe it’s irresponsible to extrapolate much from an opener, considering how soaked in pomp the first game of the season can be, both teams fresh out of spring camp and no one yet in midseason mode. Yeah, it’s early and the season is soooooo long. But it’s hard not to like what the Yankees  did Wednesday night in  routing the Giants, 7-0 , in the first game of the Major League Baseball season in San Francisco.

Love, really. The Yankees offense, tops in the majors last season, scored seven times without the benefit of its best weapon, the home run, or its best hitter. Aaron Judge , the game’s biggest offensive force, was 0-for-5 with four strikeouts, and the Yanks flourished, anyway.

In the big pinstriped picture, Judge’s forgettable night didn’t matter a whit except to social media wiseacres shopworking jokes. There were other glowing pluses, too, including a superlative outing from Max Fried, who threw 6. 1 shutout innings, and 2.

2 scoreless frames from the bullpen. After an early wobble in the first inning, Fried basked in the comfort of the five-spot the Yankees put up in the second inning off one of baseball’s best pitchers, San Francisco ace Logan Webb . If Fried can battle like this when he’s perhaps not his sharpest and then unleash brilliance when he’s at his best, the Yankee rotation profiles as a monster, what with Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón slated to return during the season.