Trevor Rogers threw six shutout innings last week against the New York Yankees with seven strikeouts and two walks. On paper, it was another stellar outing for the new Baltimore Orioles ace, who, much like Jazz Chisholm Jr., showed promise for the Miami Marlins.
That outing, he lowered his ERA to 1.35 in his 17th start of the year, and it was evident that if the Yankees were going to have a shot at winning the division, they'd have to overcome him.
Rogers' quality start a week ago did not come without asterisks. He was walloped in Baltimore, but balls that should have found grass found gloves instead. Batters averaged an exit velocity of 94.4 MPH against a pitcher similar to those the Yankees will be facing in the postseason. Only one of the seven hard-hit balls against him was a hit, and that was a single by Austin Wells, which proved inconsequential.
The most glaring red flag for Rogers, which was an omen of what was to come, was a 374-foot flyout off the bat of Paul Goldschmidt in the sixth that would have been a home run had it not been robbed by Dylan Beavers. Goldy barreled it, but instead, it equated to nothing more than an out.
Leave it to Beaver(s)!
— MLB (@MLB) September 20, 2025
Dylan Beavers robs a home run AND makes a diving grab in the same inning pic.twitter.com/kuk5M02A1O
Rogers did not fare so well a week later. His outstanding season ended at the hands of Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge, who, for the 58th time as teammates, homered in the same game.
The Yankees put nine balls in play against Rogers. Seven were over 97 MPH. Four of those seven were barreled. He lasted just three innings, raising his ERA to 1.81.
Stanton and Judge barreled three absolute rockets off of him. Stanton kicked off the two-man homer barrage with a two-run shot that came off his bat at 108.8 MPH. Judge joined the party two innings later, with a 109.7 MPH blast in the third.
451 ft.
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 27, 2025
112.2 mph.
Giancarlo Stanton. pic.twitter.com/5OdOuymK6y
Stanton put the cap on Rogers' short outing with a no-doubter soon after Judge's homer. This towering blast soared off his bat at 112.2 MPH and travelled 451 feet.
It was tied for Stanton's longest home run of the season. He hit his initial 451-foot shot against Orlando Ribalta of the Washington Nationals. Outside of the distance, the two similarities between those homers were the stunned reactions by Paul O'Neill in the booth. Off Ribalta, O'Neill laughed. Off Rogers, he said "Wow," proclaiming he'd never seen a ball hit that far, unaware the Ribalta one he had admired a month ago went a similar distance.
Aaron Boone, who has witnessed a combined 496 home runs between his sluggers, offered a more stoic reaction.
"The two big boys really leaned on a couple," the skipper said, according to Gary Phillips of the Daily News.
The big boys have permitted the tie in the AL East to continue. In New York, they're just waiting for the Toronto Blue Jays to blink.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!