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EspañolOn the same day that the Yankees announced they will retire CC Sabathia's No. 52 later this year, another southpaw made his spring debut in pinstripes and dominated.
Ryan Weathers struck out five batters and faced the minimum, pitching into the fourth inning of the Yankees' 7-0 win over the Nationals on Wednesday night at GMS Field.
The Yankees' offense didn't have to do much as they took advantage of three Nationals errors and multiple misplays to push across seven runs, five unearned.
Here are the takeaways....
-Weathers was dominant. After CJ Abrams grounded out on a liner up the middle -- that almost hit the southpaw -- Weathers struck out Dylan Crews and got Keibert Ruiz to pop out in the 11-pitch first inning. He would strike out two more in a 1-2-3 second before giving up his first baserunner, a one-out single in the third. However, Weathers erased him with a 6-4-3 double play to get through three on just 39 pitches (26 strikes).
Weathers got the first two batters out in the fourth before being pulled in the middle of an at-bat after 49 pitches (32 strikes). Danny Watson came in and finished off the at-bat with a strikeout to put an end to Weathers' line.
The young southpaw went 3.2 innings, allowed one hit and struck out five batters.
-Amed Rosario got the Yankees' scoring started with a leadoff, first-pitch homer off of lefty starter Andrew Alvarez. The veteran infielder, who has a spot on the bench locked up, finished 1-for-3 while reaching on an error when Crews dropped a Rosario pop-up with men on first and second and two outs, plating two.
The other Yankees runs came on some shoddy Nationals defense as a wild pitch allowed J.C. Escarra to score from third in the second inning and Jonathan Ornelas' single drove Max Schuemann home in the fourth.
-George Lombard Jr. had himself a good day at the plate and in the field. After going hitless in his first two appearances this spring, the Yankees' top prospect went 1-for-2 with a walk and a two-run double in the fifth. He also made a strong throw on a soft dribbler to third in the fifth to get the first out.
-In addition to Rosario, the Yankees had three other players who appeared in games last season start in Wednesday's game. But they didn't do much at the plate. The combination of Jasson Dominguez, Ben Rice and Escarra went 1-for-9 with four strikeouts. The lone hit came from the Yankees' backup catcher.
-On the pitching side, manager Aaron Boone got a couple of his high-leverage relievers some work. David Bednar had a 1-2-3 fifth inning while Fernando Cruz struck out the side in the sixth. Tim Hill struck out one in a 1-2-3 seventh inning
The combination of Weathers, Watson, Bednar, Cruz, Hill, and Kyle Carr allowed just one hit and faced the minimum 27 batters in the victory.
Game MVP: Ryan Weathers
Weathers showed why the Yankees traded for him this offseason with the best pitching performance at camp so far.
Highlights
A leadoff blast for Amed Rosario pic.twitter.com/OlMjaAshOo
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) February 25, 2026
Ryan Weathers struck out 5 tonight 🔥 pic.twitter.com/jX52oDMjp5
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) February 26, 2026
George Lombard Jr. with the barehand at third! pic.twitter.com/QXL0CCGFtY
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) February 26, 2026
George Lombard Jr. continues his night with an RBI double! pic.twitter.com/BuYkJfXtaG
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) February 26, 2026
What's next
The Yankees continue their spring training slate when they host the Atlanta Braves on Thursday afternoon. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m.