Win Blown: Bosox Hand Yanks Crushing Loss

AP Photo/Frank Franklin II

It went from bad to worse for the Yankees at Yankee Stadium last night.

The Bombers were one strike away from a much needed win over the Red Sox but Masataka Yoshida hit a game tying two run home run in the ninth and Cedanne Rafaela hit a two run home run in the 10th to hand the Yankees a crushing 5-3 loss.

To have them take it and then pile on in that extra frame, it’s a difficult time, Yankee Manager Aaron Boone said. “We’ve been in a lot of these games behind the eight ball a little bit where we’ve had a rough start or whatever. Tonight we’re about to finish off the game and the longball hurts us again.”

The Yankees lost for the 15th time in their last 20 games, fell to 0 and 4 on the homestand and are now 1-6 in extra innings. This was not only the worst loss of the season, it was one of their worst losses in a long, long time. They now lead the Red Sox by only three in the loss column after being up by double digits three weeks ago.

“I think we have a really good clubhouse, staying even keel, showing up every day and we trust each other,” said Anthony Volpe, who made a fundamental mistake that proved to be pivotal in the loss. “We play to win, we expect to win, we’re the Yankees. No one’s too discouraged.”

The Yankees led 3-1 heading to the ninth and appeared to be ready to put one in the win column but with two out, closer Clay Holmes gave up a pinch hit single to former Met Dom Smith to keep the game alive.

Holmes got ahead of Yoshida 0-2 but he couldn’t put him away. The count went to 3-2 but Yoshida, who is not known as a power bat, fouled off two pitches before he drove a 96 MPH sinker deep into the right field seats to tie the game and silence the sell out crowd of 47,158.

He [Yoshida] was able to foul a couple of good ones off, get the barrel to one there late in the count,” Holmes said.

After going down meekly in the bottom of the ninth, the game went to where the Yankees have been miserable this season, extra innings.

Tommy Kahnle came on to pitch the tenth and with David Hamilton at second base as the designated runner, Rafaela drove a 1-0 pitch over the center field wall to give the Red Sox a two run lead.

In the bottom of the 10th, the Yankees threatened against Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen but failed to dent home plate.

Juan Soto led off with a single to right to send Ben Rice, the designated runner to third, and had Aaron Judge at the plate, but the Yankee slugger is in the midst of a mini slump himself.

Judge swung at Jansen’s first pitch and fouled out to third and is now 0 for his last 11. Alex Verdugo swung at the first pitch and popped out to first for the second out. Oswaldo Cabrera was the Yanks’ last hope but he grounded out to first on a 2-2 pitch to end a rough night for the home team.

The Yankees have been making fundamental mistakes during this skid but one in particular came back to haunt them in this game.

Following a 38 minute rain delay, Anthony Volpe led off the bottom of the third with a single and Trent Grisham walked. D.J. LeMahieu hit what should’ve been a double play grounder but the Red Sox botched the relay and got the out at second. LeMahieu was not busting it out of the box and was fortunate to not be doubled up.

With runners at first and third and one out, Rice hit a grounder to first. Red Sox first baseman Romy Gonzalez stepped on the bag to take away the force. Gonzalez threw the ball to Rafaela but Volpe did not touch home plate before the tag was made on LeMahieu and that proved to be a very costly mistake.

I think it was a cross between a foul ball and just didn’t know what happened,” Boone said. “Yeah, we gotta finish the play there, give ourselves a chance.”

Obviously, I have to hustle all the way there. Having the play in front of me, just gotta be better,” Volpe said.

Volpe’s mistake was looking at the play and not touching home plate, but LeMahieu made an equally big mistake by not stopping and getting into a rundown to make sure that run would count. “A rundown is the ideal thing in that spot, yes,” said Boone.

Before the late inning collapse, things seemed to be turning around for the Yankees.

The Yankees got their first lead of the home stand in the fourth thanks to some shoddy defense by the Red Sox, who lead the league in errors.

Red Sox starter Tanner Houck walked Soto and Judge to start the inning. After Verdugo flied out, Gleyber Torres hit a grounder in the hole between third and short. Rafaela made a diving stop but Torres reached on an infield single and appeared to hurt himself.

After Torres was removed with right groin tightness and replaced by Cabrera, Austin Wells hit what should’ve been an inning ending double play, but Red Sox second baseman Emmanuel Valdez threw wide of second for the Sox 67th error of the season as Soto scored the first run.

Volpe walked to force in a second run and Houck was replaced by left hander Bailey Horn.

The next batter, Trent Grisham hit a grounder in the hole between first and second. Valdez made a diving stop and threw Grisham out at first as Cabrera scored the third run.

Except for Gonzalez’ lead off home run in the fifth, Nestor Cortes was making the lead stand up as he tossed six strong innings. Cortes gave up just the one run on three hits with a walk and 8 strikeouts and lowered his ERA at the Stadium to a sparkling 1.80.

Luke Weaver pitched a 1-2-3 seventh and came back out for the eighth, but the Yankees shoddy defense put him in a jam.

With Valdez at first, Rafaela hit a little dribbler in front of the plate. Wells fielded it and threw low to second but Cabrera could not handle it. Wells’ error put runners on first and second with no one out.

After Hamilton pinch ran for Valdez, Weaver struck out Jarren Duran but then he made a throwing error on a pick off play at second that gave Boston runners at second and third.

Weaver bore down as he struck out pinch-hitter Wilyer Abreu and then got Tyler O’Neill on a ground out to third to keep the two run lead.

The Red Sox have had the Yankees number recently. This loss was their third in four games vs. Boston this season. Last season, the Yankees lost 9 of 13 so over the last two seasons, they have dropped 12 of their last 17 against their hated rivals.

The Yankees are saying all the right things but they have to be scratching their collective heads because this is not just the kind of stretch that happens in a “long season.”

We gotta dig deep down, quick turnaround tomorrow, get ready to play. Find out what we’re made of a little bit,” Boone said.

They better find a way out and fast because what was once a promising season is turning into an epic collapse.

About the Author

Get connected with us on Social Media