Yankees Face Heartbreaking Loss to Dodgers
Gerrit Cole had some convincing words for manager Aaron Boone, persuading him to keep Cole in the game as he took the mound in the bottom of the seventh inning on Friday night. But, as it turns out, that’s when his good fortune came to an end.
After tying the game with no outs and a runner on first, Cole faced off against Max Muncy. With his 103rd pitch of the night, a slider, Muncy connected solidly, sending a two-run homer into the right-field seats, shifting the momentum entirely. The Yankees ultimately fell to the Dodgers, 2-1, in front of a packed crowd of 46,450, marking the end of their four-game winning streak just before the All-Star break.
The Yankees (54-43) are struggling without star player Aaron Judge, who, after re-evaluations during the break, hasn’t healed enough to resume baseball activities. Unfortunately, they didn’t provide Cole with the run support necessary to offset his only misstep of the evening. They managed just one run against Aki Sasaki and the Dodgers’ bullpen, with Jason Dominguez scoring on a passed ball in the fourth inning.
There was an opportunity to tie things up in the eighth. An aggressive send from third base coach Luis Rojas had Trent Grisham trying to score from first on a double by Ben Rice. Grisham didn’t start moving right away, but the Dodgers’ defense, with a swift relay from center fielder Andy Pages to shortstop Mookie Betts to catcher Dalton Rushing, was strong enough to nab him at the plate.
The Yankees had a chance to gain ground in the division standings since the Red Sox won a doubleheader against the Rays, but they came up short, now trailing 2.5 games behind the Rays. It’s a frustrating situation for them.
Cole pitched effectively for six innings, shutting out the Dodgers until he walked Betts to start the seventh. Boone had lefty Brent Headrick and righty Fernando Cruz ready in the bullpen but opted to keep Cole facing the left-handed Muncy after a brief discussion. Cole quickly fell behind 0-2 but then threw a slider that, some might argue, was close enough to the zone to merit a challenge. But, they didn’t use it. Shortly thereafter, that slider landed in the stands, turning a 1-0 Yankees lead into a 2-1 deficit.
This marked the Dodgers’ first visit to Yankee Stadium since their 2024 World Series victory, which had been a bittersweet memory for Cole, who had pitched in that pivotal Game 5 prior to his Tommy John surgery. After Sasaki had shown impressive speed during earlier innings, the Dodgers went to their bullpen, utilizing three left-handed relievers.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time Cole has advocated for himself this season. Earlier in the month, he had convinced Boone to let him pitch a fifth inning despite a rain delay, a decision that ultimately turned out well as the Yankees ended a seven-game losing streak.
This time, things didn’t pan out quite the same way. Dominguez had been the key player for the Yankees, contributing to their early lead in the fourth. With two outs, and Pages hitting a powerful double, Dominguez managed to score, providing an early spark for his team despite the later heartbreak.
