MIAMI — The New York Yankees’ prized trade deadline acquisitions turned Thursday’s championship aspirations into Friday’s nightmare.
All three newly acquired relievers — Jake Bird, David Bednar, and Camilo Doval — combined to surrender nine runs in just 2⅓ innings as the Yankees suffered a stunning 13-12 loss to the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park. Touted as reliable, Jose Caballero provided the final blow.
The loss carries significant historical weight. It marked the franchise’s first nine-inning loss while scoring 12 or more runs since August 12, 1973, against Oakland. This historic collapse ended the Yankees’ 79-game winning streak when scoring 10-plus runs, the longest such streak in Major League Baseball since 2019.
That 1973 season represented one of the franchise’s lowest points, finishing 80-82 in what was then a rebuilding era.
Elsewhere, some of the high-profile relievers the Yankees had interest in made impressive debuts for their new clubs. Jhoan Duran, dealt from the Twins to the Phillies in exchange for a pair of top-100 prospects, notched a save on just four pitches in his Citizens Bank Park debut. Meanwhile, newly acquired Padres closer Mason Miller flashed his elite velocity, hitting 103 mph while recording his first strikeout since arriving from Oakland in a trade that sent top prospect Leo De Vries the other way.
The current Yankees (60-50) entered Friday hoping their aggressive trade deadline moves would propel them toward another championship. Instead, they remain 3½ games behind Toronto in the American League East despite the Blue Jays losing to Kansas City.
Yankees bullpen meltdown unfolds
The Yankees held commanding leads of 6-0, 9-4, and 12-10 throughout the game, only to watch each advantage evaporate through their new relievers’ struggles.
Jake Bird, acquired from Colorado for prospects Roc Riggio and Ben Shields, entered the seventh inning with a 9-4 lead. The right-hander immediately found trouble, loading the bases with one out before serving up a grand slam to Kyle Stowers.
“Just not executing the pitches to my ability,” Bird said after the game. “I need to be better there. I will be better.”
Bednar, the two-time All-Star closer obtained from Pittsburgh, fared no better. The right-hander allowed a game-tying solo home run to Javier Sanoja on his third pitch, then surrendered the lead on an Agustin Ramirez single.
“It was definitely not an ideal start, by any means,” Bednar acknowledged.
Final blow
The Yankees rallied to retake a 12-10 lead in the ninth inning, with Anthony Volpe delivering a crucial RBI double after his game-tying homer in the eighth. But Doval, the former Giants closer acquired in a four-prospect package, couldn’t secure the victory.
The right-hander allowed two runners to reach base before Xavier Edwards singled to right field. The ball slipped under the glove of Jose Caballero — another trade deadline addition — allowing both runners to score and tie the game at 12.
“I took my eyes away from the ball for a split second,” Caballero said through an interpreter.
Four pitches later, Ramirez delivered the walk-off hit with a dribbler that barely reached the infield grass, scoring Edwards from third base.
Trade deadline investment
The Yankees surrendered significant prospect capital for their bullpen overhaul, trading away several top-30 organizational prospects, including Riggio (No. 11), Rafael Flores (No. 8), and Trystan Vrieling (No. 17).
General Manager Brian Cashman had expressed confidence in the additions. “I know we’re better,” he said Thursday. “Just keeping it simple, we are better today than we were yesterday.”
Manager Aaron Boone had planned to rest his overworked relievers Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, and Tim Hill, making Friday an ideal showcase for the new arms.
“We were going to stay away from [Weaver], Williams, and Hill tonight, with as much as we’ve used them of late,” Boone explained. “Set up in a good spot to get through there, and obviously, just struggled tonight.”
Hope amid deluge
Despite the disastrous debut, all three relievers bring strong pedigrees. Bednar is a perfect 17-for-17 in save opportunities this season with a 2.37 ERA. Doval was an All-Star in 2023 and has posted a 3.09 ERA this year. Bird, while having modest surface numbers, showed improvement with a career-best 26.3% strikeout rate.
The Yankees will need to quickly regroup as they continue their series against Miami on Saturday. Rookie Cam Schlittler (1-1, 4.91 ERA) takes the mound as New York attempts to put this historic collapse behind them.
“Not how you draw it up, but those guys are really good at what they do,” Boone said. “It’s not the first time they’ve had a rough one, and I fully expect them to bounce back.”
The test now becomes whether the Yankees’ expensive bullpen gamble will pay dividends or if Friday’s collapse signals deeper concerns about their championship hopes.
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