Four Keys For Yankees in Massive Series Against Surging San Francisco Giants

Here are four keys for the New York Yankees heading into a big weekend series against the San Francisco Giants.

Apr 9, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) hits a two run single in the ninth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

One of the top weekend series to watch this week will be the New York Yankees hosting the San Francisco Giants. 

This will be an exciting battle between two teams off to good starts and looking to maintain momentum. 

For the Yankees, the early part of the season has all been about surviving injuries. So far, they have been accomplishing that, but there have definitely been some signs of trouble to come. 

Furthermore, for the Giants, they weren’t expected to be nearly as good as they are to begin the year. However, the team is hitting and pitching well, which is the name of the game in baseball. 

With both teams over .500 and playing well, this should be an exciting series and another good test for New York. 

Here are four keys to a successful set for the Yankees. 

Close Games Out 

One of the biggest talking points lately in New York has been the closer spot. So far, Devin Williams hasn’t lived up to expectations in his limited appearances with the Yankees. 

However, he is a two-time All-Star and one of the best in the game when healthy. The Yankees brought him in to be the closer and it this stage of the season there shouldn’t be any discussion about replacing him for Luke Weaver. 

With that being said, New York does need their closer to be better and there is certainly reason to believe that he will be the caliber of player that the team expects him to be.  

All Rise

The Giants were the main competition for Aaron Judge when he hit free agency a couple of years ago, and what a wild thought it is to think if he joined them. 

Judge has arguably become even better since signing his big deal with the Yankees, taking home the American League MVP last year. 

This season, the two-time AL MVP is off to an amazing start, slashing .354/.446/.792 with six home runs and 20 RBI. San Francisco surely wishes that they could have convinced Judge to leave New York, but he is now the captain of the Yankees and looking to solidify himself as one of the greats. 

Don’t Fall Behind Late

With the hot start for the Giants, there are obviously a lot of things going right for the team. However, one of the unexpected things was the dynamic duo that formed in the bullpen. 

The combination of Ryan Walker and Camilo Doval has been excellent this year, with both closing out games so far. 

With that type of combo in the eighth and ninth inning potentially, the Yankees don’t want to be trailing against San Francisco late in games. 

Time For Starters to Step Up 

The starting pitching matchups for this series are not ideal for the Yankees. Currently, the only starter in the rotation that feels like he can be trusted to provide a good outing is Max Fried, and he will not be pitching this weekend. 

New York will have Marcus Stroman, Will Warren, and Carlos Rodon in that order. They will be going against Robbie Ray, Jordan Hicks, and Logan Webb. 

On paper, the Yankees are behind the eight-ball in this series in terms of the pitching matchups. This will be a true test to see if they can overcome being outmatched in this department and still find a way to win. 

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