New York Yankees vs Detroit Tigers — Mar 21, 2026 | AI Prediction & Stats

Detroit hands the ball to left-hander Tarik Skubal, who has shown swing-and-miss stuff this spring but is still on a strict 80-pitch cap coming off last year’s flexor-tendon scare. New York counters with ace Gerrit Cole, fresh from a dominant Grapefruit League run (0.63 ERA, 18 K in 14.1 IP). Cole’s power fastball/knuckle-curve combo should neutralize Detroit’s left-leaning middle of the order (Greene, Carpenter, Canha), while Juan Soto and Aaron Judge will enjoy Comerica’s shortened right-center power alley installed this offseason. Look for the Yankees to pounce early: DJ LeMahieu’s leadoff double sets up a first-inning run. Skubal then settles, punching out six of the next ten hitters, but a pitch-count–driven hook in the fourth inning exposes Detroit’s thin middle relief. A two-run shot by Judge off right-hander Alex Faedo makes it 4-1 Yankees after four. Detroit scratches back in the sixth when Colt Keith ambushes a first-pitch cutter from Cole for a two-run single, trimming the deficit to 4-3. Cole exits after six (95 pitches, nine strikeouts), and the Yankees’ revamped bullpen—Tommy Kahnle, Jonathan Loáisiga, Clay Holmes—slams the door, yielding just one run the rest of the way. Meanwhile, New York’s depth shows. Cody Bellinger, starting in center after the Domínguez option, ropes an RBI triple in the seventh. Gleyber Torres tacks on insurance with an eighth-inning RBI single, and Soto’s opposite-field solo blast in the ninth puts it out of reach. The Tigers’ late rally fizzles against Holmes, whose two-seamer induces a game-ending double play from Spencer Torkelson. Yankees win 7-4, leaning on superior bullpen depth, a healthier lineup, and the Cole advantage on the mound.