DETROIT -- Paul Goldschmidt set the tone with a pair of solo homers off Tarik Skubal, and Jasson Domínguez made the difference with a two-run shot against Detroit’s two-time reigning Cy Young Award winner in the sixth inning of a 4-2 Yankees win.
New York starter Ryan Weathers held the Tigers to one earned run on six hits over six innings in a second consecutive strong outing, improving his record to 3-5 and ERA to 3.95.
Skubal is 20-3 at Comerica Park since 2024, and beating him here or anywhere is a challenge. But Goldschmidt is one of the few who has his number. Goldy is 7-for-13 (.538) with four homers in their career matchups.
Goldschmidt, asked to explain it, said, “I have no idea. Obviously, he’s one of the best pitchers in the game, and facing him is a tough challenge. There’s not really a recipe to try to beat him. He’s got four really good pitches and competes as well as anyone.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone added: “Crazy. [Goldschmidt’s] just so tough on lefties. He’s had a good run against Tarik, who I thought was pretty great tonight. We ran into a few … but I thought Skubal threw the ball really well against us.”
Goldschmidt got it all going Wednesday night at Comerica Park by leading off the game with a 372-foot shot to left on a high and inside four-seamer with a 3-1 count.
Two innings later, he really got a hold of a low and inside curve, drilling it 427 feet to left at 104.9 mph for his 14th homer of the season. At 38 years and 287 days old, he became the eighth-oldest hitter with a multihomer game while batting leadoff since 1900.
Goldschmidt hasn’t hit more out in a season since totaling 22 homers for the Cardinals in 2024. He now has 386 for his career, and moved ahead of teammate Aaron Judge and Dwight Evans (both with 385) while tying Aramis Ramirez for 67th all time.
He’s batting .297 with 39 RBIs, and only Ben Rice (53) and Cody Bellinger (49) have driven in more runs for the Yankees.
“Look, he’s just a Hall of Fame player,” said Boone. “Unbelievable hitter in his career. He’s in amazing shape. He’s incredibly prepared. And I think he just enjoys the game as much as you possibly can.”
Domínguez hit No. 3 of the season by launching a changeup down the middle 382 feet to left at 101.2 mph. It came on a full count and the ninth pitch of the at-bat.
“Look at J.D.’s at-bats today,” said Boone. “He got dominated the first two [both swinging strikeouts], and even two strikes into the next at-bat, and he just keeps on competing. And as that unfolded, you saw him get on time a little bit. You saw him take a couple pitches, and he got the hanging changeup and didn’t miss it.
“So just a great finishing at-bat.”
“It’s just mental, you know, trying to stay in the game,” Domínguez said. "He got me the first two, but I kept my mind right, helped the team and kind of battled.”
The Yankees also got some strong fifth-inning defense from utility man Max Schuemann, playing just his seventh game in center in his 256th MLB game for the Athletics and Yankees.
Schuemann, drafted from nearby Eastern Michigan University in the 20th round in 2018, got off to a bit of a rocky start in the inning by failing to make a strong catch at the wall near the 412-foot mark. That leadoff double by Kevin McGonigle didn’t lead to any scoring, though, as Schuemann made two great plays.
With one out, he sprinted to his right and took extra bases away from Matt Vierling.
Riley Greene then teed off on a sinking liner to his left. Schuemann was off to the races again and went sliding forward on his rear end to catch the ball, ending the inning and the scoring threat.
“McGonigle smokes the ball over his head, and he can’t quite pull that one in off the fence,” said Boone, “but then makes two really good plays to both his right and left. So, good to see him have some success and have a hand in it.”
Schuemann said, “I maybe could’ve had a better first step [on McGonigle’s double], and I was upset with myself that I didn’t come up with it. Then, I was telling myself to be more aggressive going to my right and left just because this field plays so big. But I got a pretty good first step on both of those catches and felt pretty solid.”
Weathers battled his way to success.
“They had some hard contact against him,” said Boone. “They had good at-bats against him. But he kept making pitches. The couple times where I thought he lost the zone a bit, he reeled it right back in and was able to limit them from building that big inning against him.
“He threw the ball well with six strong.”