NEW YORK — On a chilly night at Yankee Stadium, Zac Gallen delivered a performance for the ages, tying his career high with 13 strikeouts and leading the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 4-3 victory over the New York Yankees on April 2, 2025. Gallen, who had struggled in his Opening Day start, rebounded spectacularly, pitching 6.2 scoreless innings and allowing just three hits with no walks.
Gallen’s dominance was evident as he retired 11 consecutive Yankees batters at one point, utilizing his signature knuckle curve to great effect. "I felt pretty good," Gallen said after the game. "I felt like I had everything working." The Yankees, who had enjoyed a powerful start to the season, found themselves baffled by Gallen’s pitching, striking out a total of 16 times throughout the game.
The Diamondbacks wasted no time in putting runs on the board against Yankees starter Carlos Rodón, who had a rough outing. Ketel Marte led off the game with a walk, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. followed by sending a 94.2 mph four-seam fastball into the left-field stands for a two-run homer, marking his second home run of the season. This was a significant moment for Gurriel, who had been 0-for-34 in his last 34 at-bats against the Yankees before this game.
Arizona continued to apply pressure in the second inning, with Eugenio Suárez drawing a leadoff walk and Gabriel Moreno reaching on an infield single. Geraldo Perdomo then hit a sacrifice fly to score Suárez, and Marte added an RBI single to extend the lead to 4-0. The Diamondbacks capitalized on Rodón’s early struggles, as he allowed four runs in the first two innings before settling down to retire the last 13 batters he faced.
Despite the early offensive explosion, the Diamondbacks’ bats went quiet for the remainder of the game, failing to record a hit in the final seven innings. Gallen, however, was in control, striking out Jasson Dominguez and Ben Rice with his knuckle curve after allowing a leadoff single to Jazz Chisholm Jr. and a one-out double to Austin Wells in the third inning.
Gallen’s performance was not just about the strikeouts; he also elicited 24 swinging strikes from the Yankees, a testament to his command and effectiveness on the mound. His knuckle curve was particularly lethal, generating 10 of his 13 strikeouts. Yankees manager Aaron Boone praised Gallen’s performance, stating, "That’s about as well pitched as a game you’ll see. He just felt dialed in to me."
As the game progressed, the Yankees began to mount a late rally in the ninth inning. Reliever Ryan Thompson allowed singles from Cody Bellinger and Aaron Judge to start the inning, prompting manager Torey Lovullo to call on A.J. Puk for the final outs. Puk managed to get Jazz Chisholm Jr. to fly out, but then Anthony Volpe hit a three-run homer to bring the Yankees within one run. This was Volpe’s fourth home run of the season, adding to the excitement in the Bronx.
However, Puk recovered quickly, getting Wells to pop out and striking out Dominguez to secure the win for the Diamondbacks. "He was executing," Volpe said of Gallen's performance. "He was giving everyone different looks... But he was executing. And when you got a pitcher like that, doing that, then it’s going to be tough."
For Gallen, this victory not only improved his record to 1-1 on the season but also extended his scoreless streak against the Yankees to an impressive 18.2 innings. "I have a lot of texts on my phone right now reassuring me it was a swing," Gallen joked about a controversial check swing that prevented him from finishing the seventh inning and potentially breaking his strikeout record.
The Diamondbacks are now looking to build on this momentum as they prepare for the series finale against the Yankees on April 3, 2025. Merrill Kelly is set to take the mound for Arizona against New York’s Carlos Carrasco, who is looking to bounce back from a shaky start to the season.
As for the Yankees, they will need to regroup quickly after this defeat, especially with their lineup striking out a staggering 30 times in the first two games of the series. The team will look to adjust their approach at the plate as they face another strong pitcher in Kelly.
With the Diamondbacks taking the first two games of the series, the stakes are high for both teams as they head into the final game. Fans can expect another thrilling matchup as the two teams continue their battle in the early stages of the 2025 season.
