One of the Yankees who is going to need to show more offensively than he has the past two seasons is Anthony Volpe.

Volpe homered in the second inning of the Yankees' 4-2 win against the Brewers on Opening Day. It was a delayed continuation of a promising postseason run by the young shortstop.

"Timing, I think that's been the biggest thing I've noticed," Aaron Judge said of Volpe. "He looks more comfortable in the (batter's) box. He's aggressive. He's attacking.

"I feel like when you are aggressive in the box, that's when you really start to take those tough pitches. He had some great at-bats, laying off some pitches. It starts with having that mindset of going up there being confident."

Cody Bellinger was a toddler when his father won a pair of World Series rings with the Yankees.

The younger Bellinger, who is following in his father Clay's footsteps after an offseason trade from the Cubs to the Yankees, played his first official game in pinstripes on Opening Day.

Bellinger played a clean center field for seven innings and then shifted to left field for the final six outs. Hitting behind Aaron Judge in the lineup, Bellinger also went 1-for-2 with a single, a walk and a sacrifice fly that provided key insurance in a 4-2 victory against the Brewers.

"Full of just crazy emotions," Bellinger said. "So excited, so many nerves. A lot of butterflies. At the end of the day, got to embrace them. Understand it's a cool experience. Came out with a 'W,' and that's the most important thing."

Austin Wells became the first Yankee ever to hit a leadoff home run on Opening Day.

But, after the Yankees' 4-2 win against the Brewers, there was much buzz about his defensive work behind the plate with a pitching staff that recorded 13 strikeouts.

"The industry had real questions about him (in the minor-leagues) behind the plate -- as did we," manager Aaron Boone said. "It's remarkable, really is. To see where he's at now, to me, is one of the game's really good defensive catchers. It's a testament to the work he's put in."

Carlos Rodon had his emotions in check over 5 1/3 innings, allowing just a solo home run and no walks until two in the sixth. He earned the win ahead of four relievers.

"I thought Wells was great with the pitch-calling today," Rodon said. "For me it's just, we get a plan together, he calls the pitch and I just roll."

The Yankees' new bearded closer sure made things hairy.

Devin Williams loaded the bases and put the tying runners on with no outs in the top of the ninth inning, but he buckled down and earned the save in the Yankees' 4-2 win over the Brewers.

Williams struck out his 2024 teammates Jackson Chourio and Christian Yelich to strand the potential tying runs in scoring position. He needed 36 pitches to seal the win.

It was a very different outcome for Williams than when he allowed a home run to Pete Alonso in the National League Wild Card Series last October, in what wound up as his final appearance for the Brewers.

A celebratory Opening Day in the Bronx.

Beard or no beard, Devin Williams is in hot water.

The star closer acquired by the Yankees from the Brewers in the offseason has loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the ninth inning. He entered to protect a 4-1 lead in a save situation and promptly allowed a single and a double and issued a walk.

Nerves are running high at Yankee Stadium.

Trent Grisham replaced Jasson Dominguez in the top of the eighth inning.

It stands to reason that manager Aaron Boone might insert the sure-handed Grisham as a defensive replacement for Grisham to protect late-game leads quite a bit early in the season after Dominguez's fielding adventures during spring training.

Grisham actually went into center field and Cody Bellinger slid from center to left field.

Boone didn't hesitate despite the fact that Dominguez was due up in the eighth inning. Grisham singled in Dominguez's spot but then was caught stealing to end the inning.

Displaced former closer Luke Weaver sure looked comfortable in his new set-up role.

Weaver struck out two of the four batters he faced during a scoreless eighth inning, keeping the Yankees ahead, 4-1, of the Brewers on Opening Day.

So, four Yankees pitchers -- Carlos Rodon, Tim Hill, Mark Leiter Jr. and Weaver -- have combined to strike out 11 and scatter five hits and three walks over eight innings.

Barring an offensive outburst in the bottom half of the frame, Yankees fans can expect to see the debut of new closer Devin Williams to try to finish off the victory in a save situation. It is ironic that Williams' first appearance for the Yankees will come against the team that traded him this offseason.

The Yankees have their first big break of the season.

With two runners on and one out in the top of the seventh, Aaron Judge chopped a ball toward third base that definitely would not have scored a run. At worst, it would have been an inning-ending double play.

Instead, the ball hit the bag as third baseman Vinny Capra was lining up to field it. The ball skied over Capra's head and scored a run as Judge scooted into second base with a wonky double.

Cody Bellinger followed up with a sacrifice fly to push the Yankees' lead to 4-1.

Jackson Chourio, one of the best young players in MLB, is 0-for-4 with four strikeouts.

Baseball folks call that a "Golden Sombrero."

After he was fanned three times by Carlos Rodon, Chourio just struck out against Mark Leiter Jr. to end the top of the seventh inning.

Chourio was the youngest player in MLB history to join the 20/20 club as a rookie with 21 home runs and 22 stolen bases last season.

When your leadoff hitter isn't making contact, it's hard to score

Yankees 2, Brewers 1 remains the score.

Tim Hill, who was let by the MLB-worst White Sox during last season and turned his season around with the Yankees, came up big in his first big spot of 2025.

Hill replaced Carlos Rodon with two on and one out in the fifth inning.

The left-handed ground-ball specialist induced three grounders, including two force-outs. The only exception was a 20-foot dribbler for an infield single.

The Brewers left the bases loaded and trail 2-1 headed to the bottom of the sixth inning.

Carlos Rodon got a nice ovation from the Yankee Stadium crowd as he gave way to Tim Hill with two on and one out in the sixth inning.

Rodon threw 58 of his 89 pitches for strikes -- locating his fastball on the corners -- but started to lose command in the sixth.

After not issuing a walk over the first five innings, Rodon walked two of the first three hitters in the sixth. Hill entered to face Sal Frelick, who was 2-for-2 with two soft singles off of Rodon.

Aaron Judge was terrible in April and October last season.

In between, Judge was so great that he won American League MVP for the second time.

But it's been another rough Opening Day for Judge, who struck out with two runners on base and two outs to end the fifth inning.

Judge chased a 96-mile-per-hour four-seam fastball up in the strike zone. It was Brewers starter Freddy Peralta's eighth strikeout through five.

Judge is 0-for-3 with two strikeouts as the Yankees cling to a 2-1 lead.