BALTIMORE–What happened? During Trevor Rogers’ time with the Orioles, he’s faced plenty of challenges, and on Friday night, he had another one.
It was the New York Yankees, and Rogers was up for the challenge. He threw six sterling innings, allowed just one hit, and didn’t allow a run thanks to the terrific defense played by leftfielder Dylan Beavers.
Rogers, who is gaining momentum as a down-ballot Cy Young Award candidate, saw his ERA fall to 1.35 and has allowed two runs or fewer in 15 consecutive starts, best in franchise history.
His strong start led the Orioles to a 4-2 win over the Yankees before a spirited crowd of 26,269 at Camden Yards.
“That was an amazing crowd out there tonight,” Rogers said. “The fans were unbelievable, they were locked in from the first pitch, and that definitely gives you a little bit more juice than usual, but you’ve got to just try to stay centered when that extra adrenaline comes through.
“I’m just very thankful that they were able to show out the way they did and the last homestand of the year, so very appreciative of them.”
New York (86-68) didn’t have a hit in the first five innings. Austin Wells led off the sixth with a sharp single up the middle. Paul Goldschmidt hit a long drive to left and Beavers leaped and caught it high against the left-field wall, preventing an extra-base hit.
Beavers caught Aaron Judge’s line drive with a diving catch, preserving the shutout and Orioles’ lead.
“I owe him something, that’s for sure,” Rogers said. “Those plays were unbelievable. The work that he’s put in since he’s come up. Really, really happy for the guy. He’s swinging it well, playing really solid defense, great teammate. I’m really happy for him. His career is going to be good. He’s got a bright future.”
Ryan Mountcastle led off the second with a 422-foot home run against New York starter Will Warren (8-8).
The Orioles (73-81) added on in the sixth when Warren fumbled Jordan Westburg’s grounder for an error. Gunnar Henderson grounded to second, but second baseman Jazz Chisholm attempted to flip it for first, but the ball landed past Goldschmidt. Henderson was on second with a hit and error, and Westburg on third.
Westburg scored on Mountcastle’s sacrifice fly. Beavers walked and Fernando Cruz walked Jeremiah Jackson. Henderson scored on Samuel Basallo’s force play, and the Orioles led, 3-0.
Rogers (9-2) walked two, hit a batter and struck out seven in six innings.
Dietrich Enns allowed a two-run home run to Chisholm, his 30th, in the seventh.
With one out in the eighth, Rico Garcia walked Ben Rice. Judge singled, and both moved up a base on Cody Bellinger’s grounder to Garcia. Giancarlo Stanton grounded to third.
Keegan Akin pitched a spotless ninth for his eighth save.
Henderson’s RBI double in the seventh extended the Orioles’ lead to 4-2.
The Yankees trail Toronto, which lost to Kansas City, by three games in the American League East.
How good has Rogers been? Interim manager Tony Mansolino has seen how strong his starts have been.
“You know, that team right there that’s playing, that lineup, they’ve been one of the best teams in baseball here recently, they’ve been playing really good, so you know to kind of handle them the way he did, I think it just validates every bit of his year,” Mansolino said.
Mountcastle has appreciated Rogers.
“He’s been great,” Mountcastle said. “Great teammate, great guy, too. He’s been pitching really good. It’s a lot of fun to watch.”
Rogers came to the Orioles at the trade deadline in 2024, was sent to Norfolk after four starts and a 7.11 ERA and had a delayed start to this season because of a knee injury in February. He said how much this year has meant to him.
“Actually, just saw a memory on my phone of my wife and I hanging out at an Airbnb in Norfolk this time last year,” Rogers said. “Just the amount of work I’ve put in, the pitching department, the strength department that’s helped me so much.
“Just thankful the Orioles have helped turn my career around. I can go on and on about how much they’ve helped me and what this organization means to me. At the end of the day, I’m just happy that I can be consistent to help this team win games and finish strong and look forward to a good 2026.”
What does it mean? This was Rogers’ most impressive performance, considering the opponent and their ability to hit left-handers.
What’s the stat of the day? Henderson recorded his 500th career hit and 100th double.
What’s the word? “They’re not rolling over. They are not taking us lightly. We have played them tough over the years and they are fighting for their lives for playoff positioning right now so he went out there against a team that’s highly motivated and playing as good as they have all year and handled them really well.”-Mansolino on Rogers beating the Yankees
What’s going on in the minor leagues? Adley Rutschman was 1-for-3 with a walk in his rehab game in Triple-A Norfolk’s 5-0 win over Jacksonville.
Rutschman is rehabbing a strained right oblique. Norfolk has two more games left in its season.
Levi Wells allowed one hit in six scoreless innings, walking four and striking out six.
Gary Sánchez, who is rehabbing a strained right knee, homered.
What’s next? Tomoyuki Sugano (10-8, 4.39) will face Carlos Rodón (16-9, 3.11) on Saturday night at 7:05.
Call for questions: Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com