Time’s winding down on the 2026 regular season for the Yankees, and their long-stated goal of avoiding the dogfight of the Wild Card Round that hamstrung their hopes in 2025 is getting less and less likely. They’re just simply running out of time to make up their deficit to the Tampa Bay Rays, and even though they technically control their destiny with the four-game set later this month, they don’t want to have to sweep that to have a shot.
Looking to build on some great recent outings is Will Warren,
who will be making his 27th start and first since his brilliant seven-inning gem against the Red Sox that secured the season series back in late August. He has since appeared in a relief role, tossing 2.1 shutout innings in San Diego against the Padres, but will return to a starting role for the rest of the regular season. He enters with a 4.16 ERA (101 ERA+) and 4.17 FIP in 136.1 innings.
On the other side is Tomoyuki Sugano, a familiar face from his time in Baltimore. The 36-year-old was forced to ink a deal with the Rockies after a lack of interest following his rookie year, but has honestly not done as badly as some expected, given how Coors Field makes low-stuff pitchers extremely hittable. Through 25 starts, he has a 5.19 ERA (95 ERA+) and 5.31 FIP in 131.2 innings. Despite being on the worst team in the National League, he has a winning record at 12-8.
Interestingly enough, he’s been worse away from Coors this year (5.46 ERA, .883 OPS allowed), especially in the slugging department. He’s once again struggled mightily with keeping the ball off batters’ barrels, among other things. In fact, his only positive attribute on Baseball Savant is an elite walk rate. The rest are bottom of the barrel. Sugano tossed five shutout innings against the Yankees last April, but then proceeded to allow 11 runs across 11 innings in the next three starts.
Ben Rice will once again lead off for the Yanks, followed by Cody Bellinger and a “rehabbing” Aaron Judge. Luis García Jr. cleans up at first, followed by Spencer Jones and George Lombard Jr. Ryan McMahon, Austin Wells, and José Caballero round things out, with the latter replacing the injured Jazz Chisholm Jr.
Jake McCarthy once again leads off for the Rox, followed by Cole Carrigg and former Yankee prospect T.J. Rumfield. Hunter Goodman will clean up after his homer in the ninth last night, with former No. 1 overall pick Mickey Moniak and legacy big leaguer Kyle Karros behind him. We’ll see Brett Sullivan behind the plate, former Oriole Connor Norby batting eighth, and Zac Veen wrapping things up.
How to watch
Location: Yankee Stadium — The Bronx, NY
First pitch: 7:05 pm ET
TV broadcast: YES, Rockies.TV
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY), KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM (COL)
Online stream: Gotham Sports App, MLB.tv (out-of-market only)
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