![\"Yankees](\"https:\/\/empiresportsmedia.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=1250,height=833,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/MLB-New-York-Yankees-at-Athletics-aaron-judge-26153506.jpg\")
Max Fried sets the tone for the series<\/h2>\n
If there\u2019s ever a time to make a statement, sending out your ace is a pretty good way to do it.<\/p>\n
Max Fried, who boasts a perfect 7\u20130 record and sparkling 1.29 ERA over 70 innings, is lined up to start Friday night\u2019s opener.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s been nothing short of dominant this season, giving the Yankees the upper hand in a battle of No. 1 starters.<\/p>\n
He\u2019ll face off against Tony Gonsolin, who owns a 4.68 ERA over 25 innings and was roughed up in his last start against the Mets.<\/p>\n
The Yankees\u2019 offense should be licking their chops at this matchup, especially with their recent form and aggressive approach at the plate.<\/p>\n
Judge vs. Ohtani: Baseball\u2019s premier duel<\/h2>\n
Some rivalries are manufactured. Others write themselves with thunderous swings and shattered scoreboards \u2014 like Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani.<\/p>\n
Judge, who\u2019s putting up alien-level numbers with a .391\/.488\/.739 slash line, is playing the best baseball of his career.<\/p>\n
Ohtani, never to be overlooked, is still very much in MVP form himself, slashing .292\/.394\/.648 with 20 home runs.<\/p>\n
He leads Judge by two long balls, but there\u2019s something different about the way Judge is seeing the ball lately \u2014 it\u2019s almost unfair.<\/p>\n
The Bronx crowd will have front-row seats to baseball\u2019s best two-way showcase, with fireworks expected every time one of them steps in.<\/p>\n
A chance for early-season revenge<\/h2>\n
The Yankees don\u2019t forget October pain easily, and while this isn\u2019t the World Series, the energy promises to feel just as intense.<\/p>\n
Winning this series won\u2019t rewrite history, but it might shift the narrative heading into the second half of the season.<\/p>\n
A statement series win would cement the Yankees as not just contenders \u2014 but the team to beat in all of baseball.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Yankees and Dodgers will square off in a heavyweight showdown this weekend, and momentum is clearly wearing pinstripes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":58565,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n