THE FIRST MARTIAN DINGER!

We needed a big blast from Jasson Domínguez. We craved it. Yankees fans everywhere have been waiting—no, yearning—for this kid to shine in New York. And now? Oh, it’s happening.

Monday night, bottom of the third, 21-year-old Domínguez stepped up and absolutely turned on a Corbin Burnes fastball. Boom. A smooth 377-foot shot to right field—his first home run of the season. It wasn’t some violent, no-doubt nuke. It was quieter, smoother. The kind of swing that just carries the ball over the fence with an effortless swagger. 100 mph off the bat. All belief. No doubt.

And let’s not gloss over the fact that he did this off Burnes—the ace of the Diamondbacks, a former Cy Young winner. That’s not just a home run, it's important.

Now, let’s talk about the elephant in the room: the Yankees’ handling of Domínguez in left field. Will the homers gloss over the fact that he can't field? Not sure yet. I mean why in the world was he never properly trained there before this season? The guy’s a natural center fielder. Out of 298 games in the minors, he played left field just 58 times. That’s not “development,” that’s neglect. And now, in the majors, he’s basically learning on the fly.

I mentioned this before, but my buddy Dave at the barbershop put it perfectly: “Why the hell didn’t they train Domínguez in left field last year?” Great question, Dave. It’s not like the Yankees didn’t know their outfield situation was going to shift. Did they really think Juan Soto was a long-term lock? Did they not anticipate needing flexibility? Instead of preparing Domínguez for what was clearly a likely role, they let him marinate in center only to now throw him into left at the highest level. Make it make sense.

But you know what? At the end of the day, the kid rakes. He crushed one last night, and that’s what matters. If he keeps hitting dingers, the Yankees will find a way to make it work, and they really need to because I love seeing this kid hit dingers.