Yankees Look to Even Series Against Mariners

Ace pitchers Max Fried and Logan Gilbert set to square off in Seattle

Mar. 31, 2026 at 8:09am by Ben Kaplan

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The New York Yankees will look to even their three-game series against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night after dropping the opener 2-1 in walk-off fashion. Yankees ace Max Fried, a three-time All-Star, will take the mound against Mariners starter Logan Gilbert in a battle of top pitchers.

Why it matters

This series is an early-season matchup between two of the American League's top teams and features a clash of star pitchers. The Yankees will aim to bounce back after their first loss of the season, while the Mariners will try to build on their strong start and take a series lead.

The details

In the series opener, Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning off Yankees reliever Paul Blackburn to give Seattle a 2-1 victory. Now, the Yankees will counter with their ace Max Fried, who threw six shutout innings and struck out four in his first start of the season. The Mariners will counter with Logan Gilbert, who had seven strikeouts but gave up three runs in 5 1/3 innings in his first outing.

  • The game is scheduled for Tuesday, March 31 at 9:40 p.m. ET.
  • The Yankees' home opener at Yankee Stadium is set for Friday, April 3.

The players

Max Fried

A three-time MLB All-Star, Fried is the Yankees' ace pitcher who threw six shutout innings in his first start of the season.

Logan Gilbert

The Mariners' starting pitcher, Gilbert had seven strikeouts but gave up three runs in 5 1/3 innings in his first outing of the year.

Cal Raleigh

The Mariners' catcher hit the walk-off single in the ninth inning to give Seattle a 2-1 win over the Yankees in the series opener.

Paul Blackburn

The Yankees' relief pitcher who surrendered the walk-off hit to Raleigh in the ninth inning of the series opener.

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What they’re saying

“We have to put this one behind us and come out ready to even the series tomorrow. Max is going to give us a great chance to do that.”

— Aaron Boone, Yankees Manager

What’s next

The Yankees and Mariners will wrap up their three-game series on Wednesday, April 1 in Seattle before the Yankees head home to open their season at Yankee Stadium on Friday, April 3.

The takeaway

This early-season matchup between the Yankees and Mariners features a clash of star pitchers and two of the American League's top teams. The Yankees will look to even the series after dropping the opener, setting the stage for an intriguing rubber match on Wednesday.