Goldschmidt bombarded and Fried blockade Yankee Rick Ray

Aaron Judge carries extraordinary anticipation every time he steps into the strike zone, and the superstar's presence casts a huge halo on the Yankees' line. And that's what sets the stage for Paul Goldschmidt to recover – the veteran is quietly hitting the most underrated batting average of the season at 0.361, and his consistency on both ends of the pitch is often overshadowed by Judge's daily miracles.

But make no mistake: Goldschmidt can also dominate the game when it matters most. He hit a three-pointer at Yankee Stadium on Friday to lead the team to a 3-0 win over the Rays.

Max Fried had little to no line-up support on the night – the newly released American League April Pitcher of the Month scored just one hit in seven innings, conceded six strikeouts and two drives. He has a record of 6 wins and 0 losses in seven starts, and has a 1.01 ERA percentage.

Goldschmidt sent his third shot of the season to the short porch stand in the right field when he faced left-handed Mason Montgomery in the fifth inning to give Fried the firepower he needed.

While Judge has dominated the 2025 season so far like the modern-day Barry Bonds, Goldschmidt has seamlessly carried over the second half of his season with the Cardinals from last year.

His blow to the left throw was particularly striking—a home run against Montgomery saw him hit 18 hits (0.600 batting percentage) for 30 left shots this season, all three of which came from the left pitcher.

"It's amazing to see him up close," Yankees coach Aaron Boone said before the game on Friday, "and he's consistent and capable of delivering quality shots in any situation, which is exactly what we need." "