Yankees’ bullpen implosion in seventh turns 2-2 game into 12-2 loss to Tigers
Fernando Cruz and Mark Leiter Jr. combine to surrender nine runs without recording an out in historically bad inning at Yankee Stadium
NEW YORK — The New York Yankees watched a 2-2 game turn into a rout Tuesday night when relievers Fernando Cruz and Mark Leiter Jr. combined to give up nine runs without recording an out, handing the Detroit Tigers a 12-2 victory at Yankee Stadium.
The seventh-inning collapse unfolded quickly as the Tigers sent 10 batters to the plate before the Yankees recorded an out. Cruz and Leiter issued four walks, yielded four hits, hit a batter and threw a wild pitch while getting only 14 of 36 pitches for strikes in the inning. Tim Hill finally recorded the inning’s first out after the first nine batters had scored, and the crowd of 35,653 offered a Bronx cheer when the sequence ended.
The Tigers (83-62) put together a prolonged attack against New York’s bullpen after Will Warren, the Yankees’ starter, left having delivered six innings of two-run ball. Warren, making an MLB-high 30th start, retired 11 straight batters before walking Spencer Torkelson to open the fifth. Two batters later, Parker Meadows hit a two-run homer off Warren to tie the game 2-2.
New York had taken a 2-0 lead earlier. Aaron Judge homered in the first inning for his 359th career long ball, passing Yogi Berra for fifth on the Yankees’ all-time list. Cody Bellinger added a solo shot in the fourth for his 28th of the season.
The seventh inning began with a leadoff double by Riley Greene off Cruz. Cruz then issued back-to-back walks to load the bases. Meadows followed with a single to right that made it 3-2, and Cruz walked another batter to force in a run. Leiter entered and allowed a bloop single to shallow center, hit the following batter with a pitch, walked Gleyber Torres and produced a wild pitch that plated another run. Kerry Carpenter capped the rally with a two-run triple that put Detroit ahead 10-2. Hill, the third Yankees reliever of the frame, ultimately ended the inning.
The meltdown created an unlikely and unwanted statistical footnote. Cruz and Leiter became the first pair of Yankees pitchers ever to each allow four or more earned runs without recording an out, and only the fifth pair of relievers to do so in the same game, according to Stathead.
New York squandered a prime chance to regain the lead in the bottom of the fifth. The first two batters reached, but a bunt attempt by Anthony Volpe resulted in a pop out and drew boos from the crowd. Ryan McMahon struck out and Trent Grisham flew out on a 3-0 pitch to end the threat.
Manager comments following the game addressed the bullpen’s inconsistency but were measured, noting Warren’s strong start and the need for a more reliable relief bridge as the season moves deeper into September. The loss dropped the Yankees further behind in the standings and highlighted renewed concerns about the late-inning relief corps during a critical stretch of the schedule.
Detroit added insurance runs after the seventh and finished with 12 total. New York managed only five hits in the game and left multiple runners on base in innings where scoring opportunities existed. The Yankees begin the next game of their 12-game stretch against playoff contenders looking to stabilize the bullpen and build on the positive elements provided by their rotation and the power hitting of Judge and Bellinger.