MILWAUKEE — The Yankees claimed Michael Tonkin off waivers on Thursday and threw him straight into the fire on Friday.
Both suffered burns.
After the Yankees took a one-run lead in the top of the 10th inning, Tonkin allowed a tying run in the bottom of the inning, and the Brewers drew a walk in the 11th inning to win 7-6 at American Family Field. .
Joey Ortiz let off a dagger and hit a hard ground ball past third baseman Jamai Jones for the go-ahead run from third base.
On a night when Lewis Gil lasted just five innings, the Yankees (17-10) had already used four relief pitchers by the time they reached the 10th inning, including Clay Holmes, who pitched in the ninth inning. That included throwing 10 pitches on the back.
Prior to Friday, the closer had pitched nine innings for the final time on Tuesday, but manager Aaron Boone opted not to extend the second inning against the Brewers (17-8).
Instead, Boone called up Tonkin, who had been drafted three times this month (two by the Mets) and was apparently the last player to be included in the bullpen.
Tonkin was given the go-ahead run at third base in the 10th inning, but the Yankees quietly fell down in the top of the 11th inning, and the Brewers jumped to the bottom of the frame.
Giancarlo Stanton, who has struggled as a pinch hitter during his career (3 hits for 42 at bats in Friday’s appearance), came off the bench in the top of the 10th inning.
He hit a lead-off double into the gap, getting the automatic runner on and leading 6-5, but the Yankees were unable to add any extra points.
Three home runs by Juan Soto, Alex Verdugo, and Trent Grisham gave the Yankees a 5-4 lead by the top of the fourth inning.
But from there their offense went quiet.
Brewers right-hander Collin Ray and his bullpen retired 10 consecutive innings and 13 of the next 14.
The Yankees posed a threat in the top of the 9th inning when Alex Verdugo walked with one out, but his attempt to steal second base erased the threat.
Oswaldo Cabrera then walked with two outs to tie the game, but Jose Trevino grounded out to end the inning.
Clay Holmes pitched the bottom of the ninth inning scoreless, marking his 13th consecutive game without an earned run since the start of the season and sending the game into overtime.
Lewis Gil started the first four games of the season and didn’t allow a single home run, but he was hit deep twice on Friday night.
These were four of the season-high five runs he allowed over five innings.
Gill took the mound in the sixth inning and got his first hit of the season on Grisham’s three-run home run to maintain a 5-4 lead.
But former Yankee Gary Sanchez doubled Gil’s second pitch of the inning into the left field seats, and the right-hander’s night was over.
Ron Marinacio grounded out for Gil, Sanchez advanced to third base, and scored on Joey Ortiz’s sacrifice fly, tying the game at five.
Soto and Verdugo each hit solo home runs in the first two innings, giving the Yankees an early 2-0 lead.
However, the Brewers quickly tied the score in the bottom of the second inning when Ortiz (part of the Orioles return for Corbin Burnes’ blockbuster) hit his first major league home run, a two-run homer off Gill.
The Brewers then took a 4-2 lead in the third inning when Gill faced a pinch with two outs.
After Reece Hoskins extended the inning with a single, Bryce Perkins (who spent the 2022 season in the Yankees’ farm system and lived with Anthony Volpe’s family in New Jersey while playing at Double-A Somerset) hit a two-run home run from 96 mph. A fastball at the top of the zone.
However, the Yankees responded quickly with Grisham.
The Brewers’ former first-round draft pick in 2015 started his sixth game of the season, going 0-for-12 with two walks.
In the fourth inning, after Cabrera singled and Austin Wells walked, with two outs, Grisham stepped up to the plate and hit a long fly ball down the right field line, which was a true foul.
But two pitches later, he nailed another pitch and kept it fair for a three-run home run into the second deck, giving the Yankees a 5-4 lead.
