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On Friday night, Aaron Judge made headlines with his Fresh Prince of BX cleats, but it was the Yankees’ blend of power, pitching, and timely hitting that carried them to a badly needed 4-3 win over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
Judge is rocking the Fresh Prince of BX cleats tonight pic.twitter.com/8iKE5H9grA
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) August 16, 2025
Before first pitch, general manager Brian Cashman stood on the field and didn’t sugarcoat the reality: the Yankees have underperformed and run out of easy excuses. “We just need to win,” Cashman said bluntly. “The obvious answer to that question, to state the obvious, is we’ve got to win tonight’s game and keep it simple, one game at a time, but then string together win after win.” Step one was accomplished.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. played the role of difference-maker, blasting a two-run homer with a custom bat painted like a strawberry ice cream cone as part of Players’ Weekend. His energy on and off the field was exactly what the Yankees have been missing in recent weeks.
“I thought his at-bats were really good,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Obviously smokes the homer, but lines out his last time up, controlling the zone well. You know how he can impact the game when he’s locked in up there.” Chisholm himself downplayed the gear, smiling when asked if his unique bat helped: “I don’t think it’s the bat,” he said before teasing more color options for the weekend.
The Yankees still within reach of AL East division title
He wasn’t the only one making noise. Jasson Domínguez drove in a run, Judge added an RBI of his own, and the Yankees held on despite stranding several runners late. On the mound, Luis Gil delivered his most promising outing since returning from the lat strain that wiped out the first five months of his season. The 25-year-old righty gave the Yankees 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball, allowing four hits while striking out four.
Gil wasn’t perfect—three walks pushed up his pitch count—but he kept the Cardinals’ bats quiet for most of the night. After being roughed up in Miami in his season debut, Gil has allowed just three earned runs across his last 10 2/3 innings.
“That’s what it’s all about,” Gil said through interpreter Marlon Abreu. “Trying to find a way to keep getting better each outing out there.”
Boone echoed that optimism, noting that while Gil is still building stamina, his fastball command and confidence have improved with each start. The win came at a critical time. With the Guardians falling to Atlanta, New York gained 1 1/2 games of breathing room in the AL Wild Card race. But Cashman made clear that Wild Card survival isn’t the Yankees’ goal.
“Right now, we’re not in control of the division, so our first goal is to try to win the American League East and automatically punch the ticket that way,” Cashman said. “If not, we’ll be fighting to punch a ticket a different way. And there’s a lot of time on the clock, but not enough time at the same time. I don’t want to misrepresent there’s not urgency, because there is.”
Chisholm struck a similar tone, saying the team can’t lean on Cashman’s presence for motivation. “We need to get to the playoffs and we need to win the World Series. That’s all our thought is right now,” he said. The Yankees know they’re in a dogfight. With the Blue Jays and Red Sox both winning Friday, the AL East picture remains crowded, just as Cashman predicted over the winter.
“This is a very hard sport, and nothing is taken for granted,” the GM said. “As the season’s played out, it’s played out as predicted—that this would be a dogfight.” For one night in St. Louis, the Yankees swung back. The cleats were flashy, the win was gritty, and most importantly, the urgency Cashman spoke of was finally matched on the field.
