Yankees try to build on Thursday's improved showing
An Aaron Judge Superman bobblehead is seen before a game between the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium on Friday, June 20, 2025. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Massive crowds of fans were waiting on line more than four hours before game time on Friday night at Yankee Stadium.
Was it because the Yankees were facing one of their AL East rivals, the Baltimore Orioles?
No. It was because the Yankees were giving out Aaron Judge Superman bobbleheads, but only to the first 18,000 fans to enter the stadium when the gates opened at 5 p.m. (which was about 40 minutes early).
In the actual baseball portion of the evening, the Yankees were trying to build on Thursday’s 7-3 victory over the Angels, one that ended a six-game losing streak and a stretch in which they scored seven runs in seven games.
Inconsistent play from the Yankees has allowed the rest of the division to cut into the Yankees’ once-large AL East lead.
The Yankees went into Friday with a 2½-game lead over Tampa Bay. Last Saturday, it was 4½ games, and at its most recent high point on May 28, the Yankees had a seven-game lead.
Thoughts of a cakewalk to the AL East crown have been tempered as the Yankees have scuffled and the rest of the division has started playing better.
Entering Friday, the three AL wild-card teams were Tampa Bay, Toronto and Boston. So maybe the division isn’t as weak as it seemed at the start of the season.
Baltimore, a 91-win wild-card team in 2024, started off terribly in 2025 and fired manager Brandon Hyde with a 15-28 record on May 18.
Still in last place, the Orioles went into Friday at 32-42. But they have been showing signs, having won six of their last 10 while the Yankees were 4-6 in that span, the only team in the division with a losing record in the previous 10 games.
“Obviously, a tough start for them,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Obviously, considering a lot of talented players. With that said, it feels like the last few weeks they've started to play a lot better baseball. They've gotten some guys back from injury. You look at the lineup, they can beat you a lot of places and a lot of different ways . . . It's a team coming in playing pretty well.”
And a division that is tightening up. The Yankees entered Friday 8-11 against AL East foes. They lost two of three in Baltimore in late April. They were swept by the Red Sox last weekend, dropping them to 1-5 against Boston. They have fattened up against the rest of the AL (21-10 combined vs. the Central and West).
A more competitive division has led to dreams up and down the East Coast and into Canada of taking the crown from the defending AL East and AL champion Yankees.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider isn’t conceding anything.
“There’s a lot of talk about the wild card,” he told MLB.com on Thursday, “and it’s great that there’s that. But the goal every year is to try to win the division.”
The Blue Jays went into Friday three games back. The Yankees visit Toronto for a four-game series starting on June 30.
“I said that we wanted to put our best foot forward before we get into July, the dog days and the trade deadline,” Schneider said. “It’s nice that we have done that. It keeps the carrot at the end of the stick. It’s right there.”
Weaver back
Luke Weaver, who was activated off the injured list on Friday, said he doesn’t necessarily expect to replace Devin Williams as the closer.
“I’m just going to be ready to pitch at any point,” he said, “because I know the guys have been doing well overall.”
Boone said Weaver “on some nights will be [the closer]. I kind of look at with him and Devin, we’ve got two elite guys back there . . . With Devin you usually pretty much [are] always going to keep him to an inning. With Weave, he's kind of that fireman kind of guy. So [if] it's a big spot in the seventh where you need to get an out, that'll be kind of Weave’s role. But on the nights when they're both available and we're in the eighth inning with a save situation, then I'll probably match it up to how I think they line up best with who's coming up in those situations.”
Newsday's David Lennon contributed to this story.
Anthony Rieber covers sports media and business and professional sports (you know, games and trades and things). He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since Jan. 1, 2026.
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