New York Mets and Yankees’ Aaron Judge hits a single during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Saturday, May 3, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees are off to impressive starts, and their biggest names are finally producing at the plate. Shohei Ohtani entered the weekend without an RBI, but that changed quickly. He homered Friday and again Sunday, part of a stretch of three straight multihit games. Aaron Judge has matched that pace with three consecutive multihit performances of his own.
Judge hasn’t needed to carry the Yankees, who opened the season 7-2 and allowed only 15 total runs before a narrow 7-6 loss to Miami on Sunday. Their pitching has been sharp, and their aggressiveness on the bases has stood out — even Giancarlo Stanton swiped a bag during the Marlins series.
Dodgers’ lineup erupts in Washington
Los Angeles didn’t get immediate production from its star‑studded quartet of Ohtani, Kyle Tucker, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. That changed in Washington, where the Dodgers exploded for 31 runs across three games. Andy Pages has been one of the league’s hottest hitters, opening the season 16-for-34 and giving the Dodgers the luxury of patience with their marquee bats.
The only setback came with Betts landing on the injured list due to an oblique strain, but the Dodgers’ depth has kept them rolling. Their 7-2 start mirrors New York’s, and they now head to Toronto for a three‑game series — the first meeting between the teams since Los Angeles beat the Blue Jays in Game 7 of last year’s World Series in Canada.
Pirates stay hot while waiting on young stars
Pittsburgh has quietly become one of the early surprises of the season. The Pirates swept Baltimore to improve to 6-3 and have won five straight. They’ve done it without dominant outings from rookie ace Paul Skenes, who has allowed six runs in his first two starts, and without much offense from top prospect Konnor Griffin, who is 1-for-9 but has yet to play in a loss.
Pittsburgh plays 10 of its next 13 games at home, with Skenes scheduled to pitch Tuesday against San Diego.
Defensive gem of the week
Jo Adell delivered one of the season’s early highlights Saturday. The Angels outfielder made three home run‑robbing catches in a 1-0 win over Seattle, including a leaping grab into the seats on J.P. Crawford’s ninth‑inning drive. He also denied Cal Raleigh his first homer of the year.
Comeback of the week
Arizona staged a dramatic rally Tuesday, scoring six runs in the bottom of the eighth to beat Detroit 7-5 after the Tigers held a 96.4 percent win probability. Corbin Carroll’s bases‑loaded double sparked the surge, and Jose Fernandez capped it with a three‑run homer — his second of the game in his major league debut.
