The Yankees got rolling early against the Cubs, and Eric Hubbs was already hyping Trent's leadoff at-bat before the real fireworks showed up a few innings later.
Helluva first at bat of the game from Trent. Love what we're seeing from him.
That fireworks moment belonged to Jose Caballero. In the 3rd inning, with the Yankees still scoreless against the Cubs, Caballero turned on a pitch and sent it out for a two-run shot that put New York ahead. The ball left the yard at 408 feet with a 106.6 MPH exit velocity, and the Yankees suddenly had a 2-0 lead at Wrigley.
Caballero rounds the bases and celebrates after golfing a two-run homer that put the Yankees up early at Wrigley Field.
Here's why the homer means more than a typical mid-summer blast: Caballero isn't a power hitter. The Panamanian infielder built his reputation as a 2-time AL stolen base leader (2024 and 2025) and stepped into the everyday shortstop job this year while Anthony Volpe recovered from shoulder surgery, doing it with his legs and his glove more than his bat. So when Eric Hubbs pointed out the homer was a career high for Caballero, it landed as a genuinely fun stat, not just noise.
That's a career high 11 home runs for Jose Caballero. In a completely random comparison across the league, that's FIVE MORE than Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
The Yankees needed the swagger. A few innings later, Hubbs was back on the timeline with a much less flattering review of the defense, calling out a throw from Dominguez that had zero shot of getting Pete Crow-Armstrong at 3rd base. It's the kind of mistake that stings more on a night the Yankees' bats aren't exactly running hot outside of Caballero's blast.
Horrific from Dominguez. You have no shot at PCA there at 3rd. Those mistakes lose you games with how bad this offense is.
Wins like this matter for a Yankees roster that's been leaning on unlikely contributors to hold the line while regulars work back from injury. Caballero was never supposed to be the power source in this lineup, but a career-best home run against a division-caliber Cubs club at Wrigley is exactly the kind of surprise production that keeps a season afloat. Whether the pop sticks around or this was a one-night outlier, it's the type of game that gets a utility guy a longer leash.