

NEW YORK — The surprise ice bath was the result of the walk-off home run.
The walk-off home run was the result of not just a center-cut slider and Jasson Domínguez’s powerful bat, but more than a month of steady improvements at the plate from the 22-year-old rookie.
That was according to star Aaron Judge, who heaped praise on Domínguez after his solo shot in the ninth inning gave the New York Yankees a 4-3 win over the Texas Rangers and sent Yankee Stadium into a frenzy.
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“Just continuing to improve on his approach,” Judge said. “The swings he’s taking on pitches in the zone — (when) teams leave pitches in the zone on him, he’s hammering them. That’s the biggest thing: approach. Ironing that out.”
The blast was the Yankees’ first walk-off home run since Giancarlo Stanton crushed a walk-off grand slam on Sept. 20, 2022, vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Domínguez also became the fourth-youngest player in Yankees history to hit a walk-off home run. He finished the game 1-for-4 with a strikeout.
what should I scream for? this is Jasson’s theme park 🌟 @SportsonPrime pic.twitter.com/3chiyNVsqx
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) May 22, 2025
The win was especially big for the Yankees because it meant they endured a vintage Jacob deGrom, who gave up two runs over seven innings, striking out nine and walking one. Yankees starter Ryan Yarbrough gave up a run over five innings, fanning eight.
The Yankees are 29-19 — five games up in the American League East. The Rangers fell to 25-25.
“Just a really good, gritty win,” manager Aaron Boone said.
Domínguez blasted a meatball from righty reliever Luke Jackson with one out. The Dominican Republic native knew it was gone as soon as it left his bat.
“As soon as I hit that,” he said, “I knew it was my first walk-off. I enjoyed it.”
Domínguez crushed it into the second deck of the right-field seats. It went 398 feet at 109.7 mph.
“Just looked like a hanger right there,” Boone said.
“You knew he was locked in,” Judge said. “Just a matter of him getting a pitch to see, and you see what happens.”
What’s stood out most to Boone about Domínguez’s start to the season?
“His talent and his poise,” the manager said. “He’s just not affected by great results or a struggling day. It just kind of puts a smile on his face, goes to work and likes playing the game with his teammates. He’s real easy and fun to be around. He’s got a good outlook on things. But you’re really starting to see just how good a talent (he is). You see the speed. You see the power.”
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Domínguez entered the season as the Yankees’ top prospect, according to The Athletic’s Keith Law. He was also No. 22 on Law’s list of the top 100 prospects in the game.
Domínguez has been productive. He has six homers and is hitting .241 with a .778 OPS. He’s also improved defensively in left field — his first extended run at the position after playing mainly center field in the minors.
Domínguez, a switch hitter, has been much better hitting lefty vs. righties than vice versa. He’s hitting .308 with five homers, 17 RBIs and a .929 OPS in 91 at-bats vs. righties. Against lefties, he’s hitting just .109 with a homer in 46 at-bats.
Boone called Domínguez a work in progress hitting righty.
“I think with experience, he’ll get there,” the manager said. “The left side is just a little more polished. But it’s power, it’s patience and it’s speed. That’s a good trio to have.”
Domínguez said he didn’t initially see Judge and Anthony Volpe coming with the cooler filled with ice to splash on him during his postgame TV interview on the field. But then he looked out of the corner of his eye.
“I saw people start backing up,” he said, smiling, “and I said, ‘Oh, s—.’”
Surely, Domínguez wouldn’t mind it happening again.
(Photo of Jasson Dominguez: Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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