THE BRONX - When Ryan McMahon stepped to the plate in the eighth inning of a 2-2 game for his first at-bat of the game, the Yankee Stadium crowd showered him with boos. McMahon had become the embodiment of Yankees fans frustrations in the early weeks of the season, and it's hard to blame them. Entering Friday's game, the third baseman had just five hits, all singles.

When the team got off to an 8-2 start, McMahon's struggles weren't a big deal. A losing streak and inconsistent offense have turned the Yankees' record closer to .500 and every out made by McMahon was magnified. Heck, the Yankees said before Friday's game that McMahon was benched for the Royals series and probably the upcoming Red Sox series so he can continue to tinker with his swing.

The plan wasn't for McMahon to get an at-bat, let alone a meaningful one. But baseball seems to always find you, and it did on Friday night. McMahon launched a 2-1 changeup down in the zone over the left field wall for the game-winner of the Yankees' 4-2 victory.

Those boos quickly turned to cheers as McMahon rounded the bases with a roar and his teammates waited to celebrate with him."You get excited for people and that was a huge at-bat, obviously," manager Aaron Boone said after the game. "I think he was hitting for about the whole game down underneath, so obviously ready for it and put a good swing on it on a crazy night.""Felt good," McMahon said of the moment. "Just to do something to help the team win.

It's no secret. I've been struggling a little bit, so I get that off my chest and feel really good about it. "God's got a funny way of working, huh?

I was excited. Excited for the opportunity. And yeah, just happy to put a good one up." RYAN MCMAHON IN THE CLUTCH!YANKEES LEAD 4-2! pic.twitter.com/PVW79dJXxp— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 18, 2026McMahon was down in the cages for most of the game, practicing his swing in case he was called upon to pinch-hit.

That work is why Boone was encouraged by what he had seen from McMahon. While the results weren't there, the Yankees skipper felt McMahon had "moved the needle" in terms of his at-bats. McMahon has reached base safely in five of his last six games (since April 11) and is now 4-for-14 (.286) in that span.SNY's Chelsea Janes reported that during spring training, the organization had been working with McMahon on his swing and mechanics.

Even Aaron Judge has had a hand in trying to get his teammate on the right track. "It's just figuring out how to get off the right way, you know, so I can go put up more productive at-bats," McMahon said of his behind-the-scenes work. "We came up with them together, sat down this offseason and had a nice long meeting about it.

So, yeah, it was a group effort." The Yankees hope Friday's heroics can catapult McMahon to more consistency on the offensive end. They acquired McMahon during the deadline last season for his glove, mostly, but also for that sneaky power that he can deliver.

McMahon has hit at least 20 homers in seven of his last eight non-shortened seasons, including last year.That's why the Yankees have not lost faith in their third baseman. "He’s had success in the league for a while, so he knows he’s capable, but when you’re going through it, it can be tough," Boone said. "Just excited for him to come up in such a big spot.

"This game will bring you to your knees, even the best of the best. It’s tough and the good ones handle it and deal with it, but you’re always grinding.""This game's super humbling. All you can do is just keep working and whatever happens happens," McMahon said.

"You go out there, play the game as hard as you can. Try to win and back to the drawing board the next day."With the Royals deploying two southpaws for the remaining two games of the weekend series, it's unlikely McMahon will start. But if anything, Friday showed that McMahon is capable of delivering whenever he's called upon.