SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The San Francisco Giants matched a franchise record Saturday by reaching 20 straight innings without scoring to begin the season, then finally recorded their first run in the third inning against the New York Yankees before losing 3-1 to be swept.
San Francisco had been shut out by New York 7-0 and 3-0 with only four hits over its first two games — the first time that happened in baseball history to start a season.
The Giants were outscored 13-1 by the Yankees in their opening series, becoming the 11th team to score one or fewer runs over the initial three games of a season.
“Today was better. Obviously we didn’t get the big hit again,” shortstop Willy Adames said. “The first three games haven’t gone the way we wanted to, but that’s how baseball goes. We’re going (in) the right direction.”
Jung Hoo Lee began the third Saturday with a double to right off Will Warren, then Matt Chapman followed with an RBI single, and the crowd cheered wildly as many fans jumped to their feet in obvious relief.
New manager Tony Vitello, promoted from the University of Tennessee despite no professional playing or coaching experience, became the ninth manager in baseball history to be shut out in each of his first two games with a team, and seventh manager to do so in his first two games overall, according to Sportradar.
The 20 consecutive scoreless innings matched the previous franchise mark from 1909, when the Giants were scoreless for 13 innings in their opener and the first seven in Game 2.
The only team to get shut out three straight times to open a season was San Diego in 2016, when the Padres were swept by the Dodgers on the way to a 68-94 season.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb
San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello walks to the dugout after making a pitching change during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees in San Francisco, Friday, March 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Aaron Judge believes the New York Yankees went a little bit overboard in their preparation for baseball's new Automated Ball-Strike System.
Manager Aaron Boone acknowledges he's a little “anal” about it all.
“We had too many meetings about it in my opinion,” said Judge, the two-time reigning AL MVP who grounded out in this first at-bat Saturday before later connecting for his second home run in two games as New York won 3-1 to complete a series sweep.
Seven challenges of calls by plate umpire Chad Whitson all were overturned — four by San Francisco, three by New York.
Judge didn't want to guess whether that was a big number at this early stage of the season.
“It's tough to say. I haven't watched enough of the other games to see how many are getting overturned,” Judge said. “I don't know, I feel like there could have been more. Guys are getting a feel for the game, umpires are getting a feel for the zone and everything like that, so we'll see how this kind of plays out in the next couple weeks.
"I love what I'm seeing from (catcher) Austin Wells back there overturning a couple big calls to kind of shift the momentum into our side.”
Judge's timely, spot-on challenge during the sixth inning of a 3-0 victory Friday night against San Francisco certainly paid off. He homered for the first time this season five pitches later with a two-run, 405-foot drive to left field after an 0-for-7 start to 2026 that included going 0 for 5 with four strikeouts Wednesday — the first hitless opening day of his career.
Paul Goldschmidt scored on the play after a double to start the rally.
Judge challenged what originally had been ruled strike two by plate umpire Chad Fairchild on an 86.1 mph slider from Robbie Ray in the sixth inning and had it overturned to a ball by the so-called robot umpire.
“I thought the call was going to stand, so it was a close one there,” Judge said. “You get in a better count, but I still have a job to do, especially with Goldy out there on second base to drive him in.”
New York was 2 for 3 in challenge opportunities through the first two games of the series, while the Giants were 1 for 2. Then a ball by San Francisco starter Tyler Mahle to Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the second was challenged by Giants catcher Patrick Bailey, and the call was overturned to a called third strike — though the scoreboard announced it as a challenge by Chisholm, showing there are still kinks being worked out.
“I was kind of obsessive over it, so I wanted to talk about it a lot,” Boone said Saturday. “I was going up to individuals almost routinely after every one, ‘Hey, I really liked that one,' why, ‘I hated that one,’ why. At the end of spring, I pulled up probably eight to 10 examples not only our games but some other games and talked through them, just trying to get our guys to inherently understand instinctively, in-the-moment situations and also whenever we can, which is easier said than done, is stripping the emotion out of it, which is going to happen at some point.”
New York's José Caballero lost the first challenge of the major league season during a season-opening 7-0 win over the Giants on Wednesday.
Boone believes the new system will be an asset for the Yankees, who had the second-lowest chase rate— or swings on pitches out of the zone — last year at 25.6% and just a fraction more than the Brewers, according to Sportradar.
“That's my expectation,” he said. “We've poured a lot into it. I feel like our team makeup should lend itself to this being a good thing for us and an advantage for us, but that's not a given, either. We've got to continue to evolve with it and learn from it and hopefully it is something that is a strength.”
For Judge, this is an adjustment. He plans to pick his moments to tap his helmet and signal the 12 Hawk-Eye cameras to make the call.
“Weird,” he said, “it's part of the game, but you've got to get used to it. I'm a hitter, I've got to focus on hitting. I'm not going try to sit here and challenge every single one I think is close, but if there's a big spot where I think I've got a chance to flip the count I'm going to do it. I've still got to go up there and do my job as a hitter.”
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb
New York Yankees' Aaron Judge, right, is congratulated by Cody Bellinger (35) after hitting a two-run home run that also scored Paul Goldschmidt, left, during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco, Friday, March 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
New York Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton, left, is congratulated by Aaron Judge after hitting a home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco, Friday, March 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
New York Yankees' Aaron Judge, left, celebrates with Ben Rice after a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco, Friday, March 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone blows a bubble as he watches players take batting practice before a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
New York Yankees' Aaron Judge jogs on the field while warming up before a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
