New York Yankees 0-4 Detroit Tigers
After the New York Yankees delivered a shutout victory Friday night, hopes were high for back-to-back wins against the Detroit Tigers. However, Saturday’s contest at Comerica Park saw the tables turned, as Detroit’s pitching stifled the Yankees’ lineup in a 4-0 shutout victory.
How it happened
Carlos Rodon took the mound for New York, hoping to build on Gerrit Cole’s dominant outing the previous night. But the Tigers wasted no time getting on the board. In the bottom of the first, Justyn-Henry Malloy doubled to left field, and Colt Keith followed with an RBI single to give Detroit a 1-0 lead before Rodón could settle in.
New York’s offense, which had tallied 17 runs over their previous three games, was held in check throughout the afternoon. Gleyber Torres grounded out to start the first inning, followed by a lineout from Juan Soto and a strikeout looking from Aaron Judge, setting the tone for a quiet day at the plate. Judge and Soto, two of the Yankees’ key hitters, combined to go just 1-for-8.
A brief glimmer of hope came in the second inning when Austin Wells drew a leadoff walk. Giancarlo Stanton grounded into a forceout, but Anthony Volpe kept the inning alive with a single, advancing Stanton to third. However, Ben Rice’s routine fly to center ended the Yankees’ best early scoring opportunity.
Rodon found his footing in the second inning, striking out five across 3.1 innings of work, but not before Detroit extended their lead. Spencer Torkelson opened the second with a double, and with two outs, Zach McKinstry added an RBI single, followed by a two-run double from Andy Ibáñez, pushing the Tigers’ advantage to 4-0.
Rodón exited the game in the fourth after throwing 90 pitches through just 10 outs, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone turned to Jake Cousins, who managed to halt Detroit’s scoring for the time being. Yet, the Yankees’ bats stayed quiet.
In the sixth inning, New York tried to mount a rally as Torres drew a leadoff walk, forcing Detroit to pull starter Keider Montero after five scoreless innings. However, the Tigers’ bullpen was just as effective, with reliever Tyler Holton retiring Soto, Judge, and Wells in order to preserve the lead.
Boone continued to mix his bullpen in the later innings, bringing in Tim Mayza and Mark Leiter Jr., while the defense came through in the bottom of the sixth with a key play at the plate. Torkelson attempted to score on a passed ball but was thrown out on a quick tag from Mayza, keeping the score at 4-0.
In the ninth inning, Aaron Judge gave the Yankees a sliver of hope with a leadoff double to center field. But the rally fizzled. Wells struck out, Stanton lined out, and after a walk to Alex Verdugo, a passed ball moved runners to second and third. Volpe then hit a deep fly ball to left-center, but Matt Vierling tracked it down on the warning track, sealing the Yankees’ shutout loss.
Roster
Up next
The Yankees will aim to rebound in Sunday’s Little League Classic at Journey Bank Ballpark in Williamsport, where Marcus Stroman is set to face Detroit ace Tarik Skubal. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET on ESPN.
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