Yankees 5- 7 Diamondbacks: Leiter turns game bitter, hands Bombers first loss
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Follow UsNew York Yankees 5- 7 Arizona Diamondbacks
The New York Yankees were one pitch away from keeping their undefeated home stand intact. Instead, they were dealt a stinging 7-5 loss by the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium, courtesy of a bullpen meltdown in the eighth inning and a grand slam by red-hot slugger Eugenio Suarez.
Holding a 4-3 lead and on the verge of sealing their fifth consecutive win, the Yankees watched as their bullpen — undermanned with Devin Williams on paternity leave — unraveled in stunning fashion.
The eighth inning that unraveled it all
Manager Aaron Boone turned to southpaw Tim Hill to begin the eighth in place of unavailable right-hander Luke Weaver. The decision backfired quickly. Hill surrendered a leadoff double and a single, trimming the Yankees’ lead to 4-3. With one out and the tying run looming, Boone summoned Mark Leiter Jr., hoping the righty could slam the door.
Leiter nearly escaped. After walking Ketel Marte and Pavin Smith, he struck out Josh Naylor and was one strike away from escaping the jam. But one misplaced splitter over the middle of the plate was all Eugenio Suarez needed. The reigning NL Player of the Week crushed the 0-2 offering 376 feet into the left field stands for his league-leading fifth home run of the season — a grand slam that turned the game on its head.
“We had it set up how we wanted it, really,” Boone said after the game. “Leiter got the pitch he needed to execute, and just left it out over the plate. That’s a tough lineup, and they made us pay.”
Warren’s encouraging start marred by late collapse
Before the implosion, the night had been shaping up as a showcase for Will Warren, the Yankees’ promising 25-year-old right-hander. Making his season debut, Warren displayed signs that his strong spring wasn’t a fluke. He opened with two scoreless innings and allowed only one hit over five frames, striking out four while walking four on 85 pitches.
His only real blemish came in the third inning when Corbin Carroll punished an 87 mph changeup over the right field fence for a two-run homer. Warren showed poise after the setback, working through traffic in the fourth and fifth to preserve a lead and position himself for the win — one that would eventually slip away.
Warren, who entered the game with a career ERA north of 10.00, showed improved command and mound presence, which could be critical for a Yankees team currently short-handed in the rotation due to injuries.
“He gave us exactly what we needed,” said Boone. “He battled, made big pitches when he had to. That’s a step forward for him.”
Yankees’ offense starts hot, then cools
The Yankees continued their power surge with three more home runs, bringing their MLB-leading season total to 18 through five games — a new league record, surpassing the 2006 Detroit Tigers.
Jasson Domínguez, who had been homerless entering the night, finally got on the board with a 377-foot solo shot in the third. Anthony Volpe followed with a majestic 418-foot blast in the fourth to give the Yankees the lead. Ben Rice added a solo homer in the ninth, continuing his torrid start to the season.
But beyond those long balls, the Yankees struggled at the plate. The star-studded middle of the order — Aaron Judge, Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. — combined to go 0-for-15 with nine strikeouts. Chisholm, in particular, endured a rough night, striking out in all four plate appearances.
The team as a whole struck out 14 times, a figure Boone admitted “isn’t sustainable if we want to be consistent offensively.”
Diamondbacks stop Yankees
Arizona entered the series hoping to test itself against one of the American League’s hottest teams. They did just that, erasing a deficit against one of baseball’s best bullpens. Starter Corbin Burnes, making his Diamondbacks debut, allowed four runs (three earned) across six innings but settled in after a rocky third and fourth.
While Suarez’s slam will dominate the highlights, Carroll’s early homer and Marte’s plate discipline helped set the table for Arizona’s late-inning magic. The win pushes the Diamondbacks to 4-2 on the season.
Silver linings for New York
Despite the loss, the Yankees still have a number of positives to draw from:
Will Warren’s debut indicates that the Yankees have viable depth in the rotation amid Gerrit Cole’s absence.
Fernando Cruz was electric in relief, striking out four in two perfect innings.
Ben Rice continues to emerge as a serious power threat, with two homers in his first five games.
Adam Ottavino, recently added to the bullpen mix, worked a clean outing (one walk in 0.2 innings) and could see more high-leverage use going forward.
The Yankees roster
What’s next?
The Yankees will look to rebound on Wednesday night in Game 2 of the series. With the rotation still stabilizing and key relievers returning soon, Boone will have to recalibrate how he manages his bullpen in the short term.
If Tuesday night was a test, the bullpen didn’t pass — but the season is young, and the Yankees still sit near the top of the AL East standings. One misstep doesn’t define a team. But with rising expectations and a hungry fanbase, the margin for error is thinner than ever in the Bronx.
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