Yankees Rally Holds as They Escape 10-9 Win Over Twins After Surrendering Big Lead
New York built a 10-1 lead but needed bullpen help and a ninth-inning save to fend off a late Minnesota rally at Target Field
MINNEAPOLIS — The New York Yankees nearly squandered a 10-1 lead before hanging on for a 10-9 victory over the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on Tuesday, preserving their hold on a wild-card position while keeping pace in the AL East race.
New York ripped 16 hits and had every starter record at least one by the fourth inning, building a 10-1 advantage with runs in each of the first four frames. The offense included two-run contributions from Trent Grisham and a two-out barrage from the bottom third of the order that produced multiple rallies. The Twins, meanwhile, chipped away over the middle innings and brought the score to within one run before the Yankees closed the game.
Anthony Volpe, making his first start in a week after receiving a cortisone injection in his left shoulder, went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk and an RBI single. Giancarlo Stanton had two hits and a sacrifice fly, Trent Grisham was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and a sac fly, and Austin Wells doubled and drove in a run as the Yankees scored two in the first, four in the second, three in the third and one in the fourth. Ryan McMahon, who had struggled in recent games, contributed with a hit as well.
Rookie right-hander Cam Schlittler, who started for New York, showed flashes of dominance but struggled with control. Schlittler retired 11 straight batters at one point and struck out Matt Wallner on a 100 mph fastball, but he walked a season-high five batters and was removed after 4 2/3 innings. James Outman hit a 443-foot home run in the fifth that trimmed the lead to 10-3, and a wild pitch during a span of walks made it 10-4 before Schlittler departed. Fernando Cruz got the final out of the fifth to strand a pair of runners.
Reliever Ryan Yarbrough was unable to provide the long relief the Yankees had hoped for, yielding four runs in one-third of an inning. Ryan Fitzgerald hit a two-run homer that cut the lead to 10-7, and a bunt single followed by a Trevor Larnach sacrifice fly pulled Minnesota within 10-8 in the sixth.
Mark Leiter Jr. and Devin Williams combined to throw 2 2/3 scoreless innings to bridge the gap to closer David Bednar. Bednar allowed a solo homer in the ninth but closed out the game for the save. Minnesota's late rally featured multiple hits and timely outs that exposed the Yankees' bullpen fatigue, but New York's early offensive outburst provided enough margin for the victory.
The win improved the Yankees to 84-67. The Toronto Blue Jays remained five games ahead in the AL East with the tiebreaker and 11 games left in the regular season, while New York stayed a game ahead of the Seattle Mariners for the top AL wild-card position and two games ahead of the Boston Red Sox. The Twins fell to 66-85.
New York had been shut out by Minnesota the previous night and struck out 14 times, making Tuesday’s offensive outburst a reversal of fortune against a team that has given the Yankees trouble in recent matchups. The teams are scheduled to continue the series, with the Yankees hoping to stabilize the bullpen usage and maintain momentum down the stretch of the regular season.