Seattle – In their first four games of this current trip, the Yankees have been skillfully navigating the opposing pitchers across their lineup.
However, on Tuesday night, Brian Woo and the Mariners’ bullpen managed to keep them quiet over eight innings.
So, the Yankees found a way to score just the second run for the Mariners, tying the game in one inning with Andres Munoz, who, by the way, hasn’t exactly had a stellar season this year.
It was a moment of relief, albeit a temporary one.
After failing to add another run at the top of the 10th and 11th innings, the Yankees ultimately lost in the eleventh.
They really missed their chance to score in the 10th. With two outs, they intentionally walked Aaron Judge and instead faced off against Cody Bellinger. Then, Devin Williams dealt with the automatic runner, setting the stage for the 11th inning.
But after leaving a runner stranded at the top of the 11th, Hill succumbed to back-to-back singles in the bottom of the frame.
Max Fried had what could be considered an okay outing, allowing just one run over five innings, which wasn’t his best performance, but still kept the Yankees in a decent position on a night when the bullpen was stellar.
Fernando Cruz, Mark Reiter Jr., and Luke Weaver teamed up to strike out eight batters over four scoreless innings, drawing the game into extra innings.
In the ninth, Munoz took the lead by hitting Paul Goldschmidt, who went on to steal second on Austin Wells’ first pitch.
Pablo Reyes pinch ran for him, advancing to third on Wells’ groundout.
As the infield moved in, Anthony Volpe hit a grounder to first, handled by Dylan Moore, but his throw home was off-target, allowing Reyes to score and tie the game.
Volpe made it to second in the process but was left stranded as Munoz retired the next two batters, leaving audiences thinking what could have been.
Losing this game, especially after Fried’s solid start, was a tough blow for the Yankees (24-18), marking the first time this year they lost a game he started after winning all eight of his previous starts.
Though not sharp, Fried managed to give his team a chance, allowing four hits while striking out six against Woo.
Heading into this game, the Yankees had been on a roll, scoring ten or more in three of their last four outings and racking up a total of 40 runs on the trip. They even had several innings with more than five runs.
Yet, on Tuesday, they couldn’t manage a single run through the nine innings.
The Yankees effectively chased Woo from the game in the seventh after Wells made a solid line drive to the outfield.
Facing a left-handed reliever, Gabeshpeier, Anthony Volpe drew a walk, leading the Yankees to execute double steals, positioning runners on second and third.
Dominguez, batting from the right side—his weaker side—came through after Cabrera had to leave the game due to an injury.
The Mariners capitalized in Fried’s four innings, with Julio Rodriguez leading off with a single, later scoring on a double from Cal Lowry.
The relay was a bit late, putting the Yankees in a quick 1-0 deficit.
Woo managed to retire 15 consecutive Yankees until Grisham broke it with two singles in the sixth inning.
Judge followed up with another hard hit into right field as the Yankees looked to mount a threat.
