Minneapolis – The Yankees have a strange familiarity when playing against the Twins.
This is what made Monday’s shutout particularly surprising. Tuesday’s game seemed routine until the always vulnerable team unexpectedly fought back.
For a stretch, the Yankees returned to form, managing to secure a nail-biting 10-9 victory at Target Field.
Things looked dicey for Cam Schlittler and Ryan Yarbrough, as the lead dwindled from 10-1 in the fourth to 10-8 in the sixth.
Mark Reiter Jr. and Devin Williams stepped up, throwing 2²/₃ shutout innings to fill in for David Bednar.
This win allowed the Yankees (84-67) to maintain a five-game lead, hold onto the tiebreaker, and keep pace in the division race against the Blue Jays, who are favored to win the AL East with just 11 games left.
Crucially, the Yankees also stayed one game ahead of the Mariners in the top wild card spot, moving two games clear of the Red Sox.
After struggling against the same struggling Twins (66-85) just days prior, the Yankees found their rhythm with 16 hits.
A few Yankees who had been struggling recently found their footing against the Twins.
Anthony Volpe, returning after a week and a cortisone shot in his shoulder, had an impressive game going 4-4. He hit a double in the second inning, drew a walk in the third, and knocked in a single in the fourth.
Giancarlo Stanton, who had a rough stretch of 51-6 in the last 15 games, also had a solid night, contributing with a sacrifice fly.
Trent Grisham, on a similar slump, went 4-2 with a two-run homer and another sacrifice fly. Austin Wells, too, managed to go 4-2, adding doubles and an RBI.
Surprisingly, even Ryan McMahon, who had been struggling as well, went 5-1.
A third of the batting order—McMahon, Volpe, and Wells—combined for five runs, driving the rally with two runs in the first, four in the second, three in the third, and one more in the fourth.
Schlittler displayed dominance at times but faltered too, giving up four runs over 4²/₃ innings while walking a season-high five batters.
At one point, he retired 11 batters in a row but faced challenges at both ends of that streak.
He started strong, retiring his first two batters quickly, but then lost his grip, going 1-2 against the next two and walking both.
In an attempt to escape trouble, Schlittler plunked Matt Walner with a powerful fastball and briefly regained control, but James Outman hit a 443-foot home run, making it a 10-3 game.
Schlittler then struggled again, walking three out of four batters (while also throwing a wild pitch) before Aaron Boone replaced him after five innings.
Fernando Cruz entered to secure the final out and managed to contain the damage momentarily. Yarbrough took over in the sixth, hoping to stabilize the situation.
Unfortunately, Yarbrough failed to settle things, allowing hits to four of the five batters he faced.
Yarbrough, though having registered bunts and a deep fly ball to Trevor Larnach, ultimately gave up a sacrifice fly that narrowed the gap to 10-8, cutting the rally short.
The writers then closed out the seventh inning efficiently before Williams did the same in the eighth.
