Yankees’ Streak Against Twins Comes to an End

The Yankees’ dominance over the Twins isn’t everlasting, it appears.

In a crucial matchup for the American League playoff race, Aaron Boone’s squad faltered, squandering chances and ultimately falling 4-1 in Minnesota against All-Star pitcher Joe Ryan and two relievers. The game was delayed nearly two hours due to heavy rain, and the Yankees couldn’t capitalize on losses from other contenders like the Blue Jays, Red Sox, Guardians, and Rangers earlier that night.

This marks the Yankees’ first defeat to the Twins in their last ten encounters. With this loss, the Yankees (64-57) dropped a game behind Boston for the second Wild Card slot in the AL and are now just ahead of Cleveland for the final playoff position.

As the Yankees prepare for a five-game road trip in St. Louis, they’ve maintained an impressive .735 win rate (125-45) against the Twins since 2002.

Rookie pitcher Cam Schlittler, making his sixth MLB start, completed five innings while allowing just one run on two hits and two walks. Boone opted to let him continue for the sixth inning with the game tied at 1-1, after he threw 86 pitches.

Delos Santos, pitching in relief, faced three batters and gave up three hits, all of whom eventually scored.

Schlittler began strong, retiring the first nine batters he faced using only 34 pitches, including a stretch where he struck out three in a row that bridged two innings.

The Yankees found an early score against Ryan (12-5) in the third inning, thanks to two solo home runs from Cody Bellinger, marking his 22nd home run of the season. Unfortunately, that would be their only run as Ryan exited in the seventh with two outs.

Giancarlo Stanton, playing right field for the third consecutive game, had initially tested Ryan with a fly ball, only to have it caught by Byron Buxton at the wall.

Boone acknowledged Ryan’s talent before the game, commenting on his unique fastball and release angle, suggesting that to be successful, they would need to adjust.

After some back-and-forth, the Twins’ first hitter reached base in the fourth with a walk from Trevor Larnach, followed by Buxton hitting a double after an intense ten-pitch at-bat. An infield single from Luke Keaschall tied the score, although Buxton was left stranded at third after a strikeout and a pop-up.

After Bellinger’s home run, Ryan faced a flurry of hitters, including Stanton and Ben Rice, but he managed to keep the score tied for a while longer.

The Twins broke the deadlock in the sixth inning, pushing Delos Santos to surrender two infield singles, finishing with a two-run double by Kody Clemens, son of former Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens. Royce Lewis then added to the score, bringing it to 4-1 with two RBI doubles against Mark Leiter Jr.

Volpe made an attempt to rally in the seventh, doubling off Ryan, but a left-handed reliever got the best of Austin Wells shortly after.

Boone noted after the game that he had difficulties swinging due to a right knee issue that might lead to an injury list placement.