Yankees execute perfect and aggressive ABS challenge night —and let the ump hear about it

SEATTLE — Aaron Boone wanted the Yankees to be aggressive in using the automated ball-strike system.

A 5-for-5 Monday night on challenges — including two in one at-bat and the other three by three straight batters in one inning — was right in line with the manager’s wishes, though it did not ultimately make a difference in a 2-1 loss to the Mariners at T-Mobile Park.

“Really good job by the guys,” Boone said. “When you have that kind of success rate, it’s not going to be like that every night, but I thought every one was obviously warranted and a couple in some key spots to give us a chance to build an inning, we just weren’t able to build much offensively tonight.”

On a night when they struggled to do much in the way of offense, the Yankees at least created some better opportunities for themselves by getting called strikes turned into balls, which turned into some barking with home plate umpire Mike Estabrook along the way.

“You also get a little frustrated over there, like, those are razor-thin pitches sometimes, you don’t want to always have to be challenging,” Boone said. “But good on the guys for hammering the strike zone right now.”

Mike Estabrook (83) reacts as New York Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm Jr. challenges a call during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Monday, March 30, 2026, in Seattle. AP

That happened in the fourth inning, when Ben Rice, Giancarlo Stanton and Jazz Chisholm Jr. each successfully challenged pitches below the zone in consecutive at-bats.

The only one that gave way to a hit was Giancarlo Stanton, who skied a pop-up that fell down the left field line, though he was thrown out at second trying to stretch it into a double.

An inning earlier, José Caballero successfully challenged two pitches in the same at-bat. He turned a 1-1 count into a 2-0 count and then a strikeout into a walk.The Yankees are now 10-for-11 in ABS challenges through four games.

For the first time since their down-to-the-wire race for the American League MVP last season, Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh squared off.

Raleigh was not in the Mariners starting lineup, entering the day 2-for-15 with 10 strikeouts, but pinch hit in the seventh inning and later delivered the game-winning hit with a walk-off single. The catcher was off to a slow start after crushing 60 home runs last season and nearly swiping the MVP from Judge, who received 17 first-place votes to Raleigh’s 13.

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Aaron Judge hits a single against the Seattle Mariners during the eighth inning of a baseball game, Monday, March 30, 2026. AP

“I figured it would be pretty close,” Boone said before the game. “I kind of believed Judgey would carry the day. I think [the voters] got it right. But there’s no denying the all-around season that Cal had. It was deservingly a very tight race.”

Judge, who was teammates with Raleigh on Team USA in the WBC earlier this month, ultimately prevailed to capture his second straight MVP and third in the last four years, winning a batting title (.331) and hitting 53 home runs with a 1.144 OPS.

Carlos Rodón (elbow surgery) threw 50 pitches in a live batting practice Sunday in Tampa, Fla., continuing his buildup to rejoin the Yankees at some point in April. His next outing could mark the start of a rehab assignment this weekend.

Gerrit Cole, meanwhile, is expected to throw one inning of live batting practice in a few days as he goes through a scheduled deload before building up a final time.As for Anthony Volpe, the shortstop remains on track to begin facing live pitching Wednesday in Tampa. He has been hitting off the Trajekt pitching machine over the last few days.

Carlos Lagrange made his Triple-A debut Sunday, tossing four innings of one-run ball with no walks and three strikeouts. The 22-year-old threw 68 pitches in frigid Buffalo but brought the heat with his fastball, averaging 97.9 mph and topping out at 101.3.

The rest of the Yankees minor league rosters were announced Monday ahead of those affiliates beginning the season Friday. Among the notable assignments: SS George Lombard Jr., RHP Ben Hess and LHP Kyle Carr at Double-A Somerset; LHP Pico Kohn, INF Kaeden Kent and INF Core Jackson at High-A Hudson Valley; and LHP Henry Lalane, LHP Allen Facundo and OF Brando Mayea at Single-A Tampa.