NEW YORK — A crisp September evening at Yankee Stadium turned into a disaster that may haunt the Bronx for weeks. The New York Yankees suffered their worst defeat of the season Tuesday night, falling 12-2 to the Detroit Tigers in a stunning collapse.
The unraveling came fast in the seventh inning. Two Yankees relievers combined to allow nine runs without recording a single out. What had been a 2-2 tie quickly became an avalanche, leaving 35,653 fans heading for the exits long before the final pitch.
Two relievers make unwanted history
Fernando Cruz and Mark Leiter Jr. earned a place in Yankees history for all the wrong reasons. They became the first pair of Yankees pitchers ever to each give up four or more earned runs without retiring a batter. According to Stathead, it is only the fifth time in MLB history that two relievers have done so in the same game.
“I haven’t seen anything like that before,” said starter Will Warren, whose six strong innings went to waste. “Come back out tomorrow and try it again.”
Cruz entered in the seventh with the score tied. He gave up a leadoff double to Riley Greene, then walked two hitters to load the bases. Parker Meadows lined an RBI single, and Cruz walked in another run to end his night.
“I was battling, obviously,” Cruz said. “There’s not a doubt, and there’s going to be those nights that we just need to forget, come back tomorrow and do the job.”
Leiter Jr. fared no better. His first pitch resulted in a bloop single to former Yankees prospect Trey Sweeney that Anthony Volpe could not track down in shallow center. He then hit a batter, issued another walk, and fired a wild pitch. Kerry Carpenter broke the game wide open with a two-run triple.
“This is a sport that, as you see, is not as easy as it looks,” Cruz added. “Sometimes you’re on top of the horse. Sometimes you get out of it. So you learn how to get on top again. You’re never bigger than the game, and you always learn from failures.”
Judge reaches milestone amid the misery
The only bright spot for the Yankees came from Aaron Judge. In the first inning, he blasted his 359th career home run. The shot pushed him past Hall of Famer Yogi Berra for sole possession of fifth place on the franchise’s all-time list.
“He’s the definition of a true Yankee,” Judge said of Berra. “Anytime you’re on a list with a guy like that, it’s pretty remarkable.”
Judge now has 44 home runs this season and is closing in on Joe DiMaggio’s 361 for fourth place on the club’s career chart. Lou Gehrig (493), Mickey Mantle (536), and Babe Ruth (659) hold the top three slots.
Cody Bellinger added a solo homer in the fourth, but those highlights were quickly erased by the bullpen meltdown.
Division hopes take serious hit
The defeat struck a blow to New York’s postseason chances. Toronto rallied past Houston on the same night, leaving the Yankees three games behind the Blue Jays in the AL East with only 18 games left.
Toronto also owns the tiebreaker, effectively stretching the gap to four games. New York (80-64) is now tied with Boston for the top American League wild-card spot after the Red Sox blanked Oakland 6-0.
Detroit (83-62) closed within a half-game of Toronto for the league’s best record, tightening their own playoff grip while pushing the Yankees back.
“We have the guys down there to get it done, we just got to sync it up,” manager Aaron Boone said of the bullpen. “Tonight’s a tough night, but it doesn’t change a lot of the good things that have happened in some of these games we’ve been able to close out.”
Volpe’s struggles continue under bright lights
Anthony Volpe’s struggles added to the rough night. He failed to reach Sweeney’s popup, which carried a 99% catch probability. He struck out twice and was loudly booed after popping up a bunt attempt with two runners on in the fifth.
Boone considered starting José Caballero at shortstop but stuck with Volpe. The 23-year-old is hitting with a .661 OPS and 81 wRC+ this season.
“That’s a chance to kind of grab the lead there and hopefully run with it,” Boone said of the failed bunt. “Just weren’t able to get it done.”
Warren turned in a quality outing, allowing just two runs over six innings with five strikeouts. He entered with a 2.81 ERA across his last nine starts. His effort made the bullpen’s implosion sting even more.
Tim Hill finally ended the seventh-inning chaos by recording the first out, drawing sarcastic cheers from those still in the seats. Offensively, the Yankees managed only five hits against Detroit pitchers and never threatened after the outburst.
The defeat dropped New York to 4-3 in its critical 12-game stretch against contenders. With two more against the Tigers before a trip to Boston, the Yankees must find answers in the bullpen and on offense to keep playoff hopes alive.
As the lights dimmed on another tough September night in the Bronx, the reality set in. What began as an ordinary game had turned into a potential turning point that could shape the Yankees’ postseason fate.
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