Yanks Get Bare Minimum vs. Rays

The Yankees are chasing the Tampa Bay Rays for the American League Eastern Division. They went down to that stupid, if newly re-roofed, dome in St. Petersburg for a key 4-game series.

The Monday night game offered encouragement. Cam Schlittler was allowed to throw 101 pitches, going 8 innings, allowing just 1 run, 4 hits, and no walks. I love seeing "no walks" from Yankee pitching. He struck out 8.

The game was scoreless through 4 innings. But, Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you. With 1 out in the top of the 5th, Rays starter Griffin Jax walked Jasson Domínguez and Jazz Chisholm, and José Caballero hit a home run. The Rays pulled a run back, but Caballero hit another home run in the 8th, and Ben Rice hit one in the 9th.

Here's the weird part: Rays pitchers only allowed 3 hits -- all of them home runs. They also walked 12 batters, and struck out 17. Nevertheless: Yankees 5, Rays 1.

Attendance: 18,129. I guess a year playing in a reasonably accessible part of Tampa for a year and playing the Yankees again hasn't helped the Rays bring fans in, any more than, you know, winning did.

The Yankees weren't so lucky on Tuesday night. Will Warren allowed 6 runs in 4 innings, and Rays pitchers again struck out 17 Yankees. Rice hit another home run, but the Rays won, 8-4.

Attendance: 18,115. Almost exactly the same. Are the Rays simply closing off the upper deck, and filling the lower bowl? Maybe the Rays are followers of the ancient Chinese philosopher Lao-Tzu, who supposedly said, "A bowl is most useful when it is empty."

The Yankees did not strike out 17 times on Wednesday night. Only 11. Gerrit Cole pitched 6 1/3rd innings, allowing 3 runs. Bur the Yankees stranded runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out in the 2nd inning and again in the 7th, and wasted a leadoff single in the 6th and again in the 9th, and that was it. Rays 3, Yankees 0.

Attendance: 19,373. The hell, Rays fans? You're in 1st place! You've got the best record in the American League! And these games are against the team you hate the most, the team that's fighting with yours for the Division title and possibly for the Pennant! I know it's Florida and it's Summer, and you don't want to leave the house, but it's all of the preceding, and it's in a dome, so there's air-conditioning!

Move the Rays.

So the Yankees needed to win on Thursday afternoon, the dreaded day game after a night game, just to get a road split against the team they're chasing, the bare minimum of what was needed.

With all the holes in the rotation, and with it being a day game, meaning even less rest for pitchers, Aaron Boone did pretty much the last thing he should have done: Used a "bullpen game." Paul Blackburn pitched the 1st 2 innings, and allowed a run.

But the Yankees scored 6 runs in the top of the 3rd, including a home run by Rice. Jake Bird allowed 2 runs in the bottom of the 3rd, but Austin Wells homered in the top of the 4th. Rice homered again in the 6th, his 28th of the season. He isn't replacing Juan Soto, he's replacing Aaron Judge.

Ryan Yarbrough pitched a scoreless 4th inning, and was credited as the winning pitcher. Camilo Doval got 2 outs in the 5th, Brent Headrick finished that inning but allowed a run in the 6th. Angel Chivilli, a rookie righthander from the Dominican Republic, pitched the 7th and the 8th without allowing a baserunner, and Tim Hill pitched a scoreless 9th.

In other words, Boone tried a bullpen game, and it worked, and it still have worked if the Yankees had only scored half as many runs: Yankees 12, Rays 4. Attendance: 18,255.

You know, if you look at all 4 games, as they would say in soccer, the Yankees "won on aggregate," 22-16. It doesn't look so bad. But the 1st 3 games were discouraging, and the middle 2 games were especially bad.

*

The Yankees are 51-42, on a pace for 89-73. That might be enough to make the Playoffs, but it probably won't be enough to win the Division. They are 4 games behind the Rays, 5 in the loss column. They have to do better.

Injury updates were provided on 3 key players yesterday. Giancarlo Stanton has resumed running, which is a good sign. Carlos Rodón played catch yesterday, which is a good sign. And Brian Cashman said that Aaron Judge "will get follow-up imaging on his injured rib during the All-Star Break." There's not much encouragement there. Nothing new on the other injured starting pitchers, Max Fried and Clarke Schmidt.

Tonight, the Yankees start a series in Washington against the Nationals. They are 48-46, 7 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the National League East. Only the Mets are behind them in that Division, at 40-56, a pace for 67-95.

Yankees Swept 4 Straight In Boston

 

I was all set for a nice weekend. And then the sports happened.

The Yankees went into Fenway Park in Boston for a 4-game series. As Obi-Wan Kenobi would have said, "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy." The Yankees went in with the best record in the American League, while the Red Sox were in last place in the AL Eastern Division. Cliché Alert: In this rivalry, you can throw out the records.

On Thursday night, the Red Sox wore their usual home uniforms. Or, as Muhammad Ali would have said, "Ain't they ugly?"

It was a battle of phenom starters: Cam Schlittler for the Good Guys, Connelly Early for The Scum. Schlittler threw 92 pitches, 62 of them strikes, and got 9 strikeouts against 2 walks. And he got an RBI single from Jasson Domínguez in the 1st inning and a home run from José Caballero in the 4th, and led 2-0 going into the bottom of the 5th.

Then the game, and possibly the entire series, turned around. Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you, especially the leadoff variety. Schlittler walked Masataka Yoshida, then gave up a single to Ceddanne Rafaela. He struck Wilyer Abreu out. Then Willson Contreras hit a ball to 3rd baseman Amed Rosario, who threw it away allowing a run. Jarren Duran hit a sacrifice fly, for a 2nd run. And Caleb Durbin hit a home run, making it 4-2 Boston.

The Yankees pulled a run back in the 7th, but the Sox scored 2 more in the 8th. The Yankees made 4 errors in the game, and lost, 6-3. All 6 Boston runs were unearned.

On Friday night, the Red Sox wore their green jerseys, the same shade of green as the fencing around Fenway, including the Green Monster. It wouldn't have been so bad, if they didn't have "Red" in their name.

Will Warren started for the Yankees, and had nothing, allowing 5 runs in 5 2/3rds innings. And here are all the baserunners the Yankees got in the game: A single by Spencer Jones, that broke up a perfect game by Payton Tolle with 1 out in the 6th; back-to-back walks by Domínguez and Caballero with 2 out in the 7th; a leadoff double by Anthony Volpe, off former Yankee Tommy Kahnle, that was followed by groundouts by Jones and Austin Wells, to bring Volpe home in the 8th; and a double by Domínguez with 2 out in the 9th. Red Sox 6, Yankees 1. Pathetic.

Saturday afternoon. The dreaded day game after a night game. The Red Sox wore yellow jerseys. Green, then yellow? I know the Sox played the Oakland Athletics in 3 AL Championship Series (winning in 1975, losing in 1988 and 1990), but I don't think they want to be the A's -- especially since the A's just moved again.

But the ugly uniforms worked for them. Gerrit Cole again looked like he'd been brought back from injury too soon, allowing 4 runs on 7 hits and a walk through 5 1/3rd innings. To give credit where it's due, Brent Headrick, Camilo Doval and Paul Blackburn went the remaining 3 2/3rds, allowing no runs, no hits, and just 1 walk.

Here's all the baserunners the Yankees got: A walk by Cody Bellinger to lead off the top of the 2nd; a home run by Max Schuemann, to break up a no-hitter by Jake Bennett, with 2 out in the top of the 5th; a walk by Paul Goldschmidt with 1 out in the 6th, subsequently eliminated by a double play; back-to-back singles by Rosario and Bellinger to lead off the 7th, followed by the Sox striking out the side; and a walk by Bellinger off former Yankee Aroldis Chapman with 2 out in the 9th. That's it: That's the list. Red Sox 4, Yankees 1.

The Yankees had more chances in the finale on Sunday night. Carlos Rodón started, and over 5 innings, allowed 2 runs, neither of them earned, on 1 hit and 4 walks, striking out 6. But he'd thrown 96 pitches, and, having his orders from Brian Cashman, Aaron Boone said, "Yes, sir, observing the limit, sir," and took him out. To be fair, Blackburn and David Bednar each pitched 2 scoreless innings, each allowing just 1 hit, neither allowing a walk.

But, as so often happens, a pitcher who pitched well before the Yankees, but not with them, pitched well against them. This time, it was Sonny Gray. Here's all the baserunners he allowed: A walk by Rosario, to break up a perfect game with 2 outs in the 5th; and a single by Rosario, to break up a no-hitter with 1 out in the 8th. That's when Gray was taken out: He'd thrown 97 pitches, 1 more than Rodón, and had lost the no-hitter.

So, in 3 straight games: The Yankees had no baserunners until the 6th, no hits until the 5th, and no baserunners until the 5th and no hits until the 8th. At Fenway Park. This is what happens when Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Trent Grisham miss the series due to injury.

Finally, in the top of the 9th, with the Sox up, 2-0, Chapman did for the Red Sox what he did so often for the Yankees: He blew the save. Not that it was all his fault. Caballero singled to lead off, and stole 2nd. Chapman walked Volpe. Ben Rice flew out, and Caballero scored on a throwing error. Goldschmidt grounded into a fielder's choice, to score Volpe with the tying run. But Chapman struck Bellinger and Schuemann out to end the threat.

Top of the 10th. Ghost runner time, in this case Schumann. Rosario singled him home, and advanced to 2nd on another Sox throwing error. Oswaldo Cabrera bunted Rosario over to 3rd. Rosario scored on an Austin Wells groundout. Would 4-2 be enough to salvage the finale?

No. Boone brought Fernando Cruz in, and, Cliché Alert: He stunk up the joint. He allowed a single to Anthony Seigler, scoring ghost runner Durbin. Andruw Monasterio was sent in to pinch-run for Seigler. Yoshida hit a double to get him to 3rd. Tsung-Che Cheng hit a sacrifice fly to score the tying run. And then Duran singled Yoshida home with the tying run. Red Sox 5, Yankees 4.

Did Boone blow it by bringing Cruz in? Yes. Did he blow it by not relieving him in that inning? Probably.

But the Sox got the job done, and the Yankees didn't have the healthy hitters they needed.

*

Although the All-Star Game isn't for another 2 weeks, we are now at the halfway point of the regular season: 81 out of 162 games. The Yankees now trail the Tampa Bay Rays by 1 game in the AL East. The Toronto Blue Jays are 10 1/2 back, the Baltimore Orioles 11, and the Sox 12 1/2. Cliché Alert: In the all-important loss column, the Yankees trail by 2, the Jays by 10, and the O's and Sox each by 13.

The latest updates on major injuries:

* Trent Grisham: He is expected to get in some minor-league rehab games, and then to come back during the coming homestand, which starts tonight with 3 against the Detroit Tigers, then Thursday off, and then 3 against the Minnesota Twins. In other words, probably during the Twins half of the series, Friday through Sunday, July 3, 4 or 5.

* Ryan McMahon: Had a throat infection, and so was placed on the 10-Day Injured List. 10 days would be July 4.

* Clarke Schmidt: He "tossed a side session" on June 17. On June 19, Boone said he "is a couple of weeks away from facing live hitters." If Donald Trump had said, "in two weeks," we'd know it was full of shit. With Boone saying it, your guess is as good as his. Two weeks would be July 1. So, figure, after the All-Star Break, when the next game would be on July 19. But don't count on it.

* Aaron Judge: Boone says he "isn't expected to be ready for a re-evaluation later this week." In other words, don't expect him back before at least August 1.

* Luis Gil: Has resumed throwing, which is a good sign, but reports suggest he won't return before August 1.

* Max Fried: On June 20, Boone said  he "is expected to being facing hitters by late June or early July." Well, this is the end of June, and Fried has not begun facing any kind of hitters. This is not encouraging.

* Giancarlo Stanton: He reinjured his calf on June 11. Who knows.

Yankees Follow Knicks' Pattern vs. Blue Jays

The Yankees followed their road sweep of the Cleveland Guardians with a visit to those pesky Toronto Blue Jays. Ryan Weathers started on Friday night, against Trey Yesavage, the Jays' answer to Cam Schlittler, as the Yankees found out last October. Neither had much: Weathers allowing 6 runs on 5 hits over 4 1/3rd innings, including yet another home run against the Yankees by former Houston Astro cheater George Springer; and Yesavage allowing 5 runs on 4 hits over 5.

The difference was that the Jays got good pitching the rest of the way, while the Yankees got a little less than that. Jake Bird and Fernando Cruz each allowed an additional run. Despite a home run from Cody Bellinger, the Yankees lost, 8-5.

Schlittler started on Saturday afternoon, against Kevin Gausman, who always seems to pitch well against the Yankees, both with the Jays and earlier in his career with the Baltimore Orioles. Cam gave us 7 innings with just 1 run, but Gausman did the same, the only run he allowed coming on a home run by Jasson Domínguez, who was called up when Trent Grisham went on the Injured List.

But Bellinger led off the top of the 9th with a single, and Paul Goldschmidt hit a home run. David Bednar struck out the side to save it for Fernando Cruz: Yankees 3, Blue Jays 1.

The game ended at 5:44 PM. At 11:28, the Knicks won the NBA Championship.

The Sunday afternoon game was also tight -- until the end. As with the day before, the Yankees seemed to be copying the Knicks: Struggle early, win late.

Will Warren, like Weathers a hole-in-the-rotation filler due to injuries, threw 98 pitches -- in only 4 innings. He allowed 8 hits and 3 walks, but somehow allowed only 2 runs. The Yankees scored 2 of their own in the bottom of the 2nd, and it was 2-2 after 5. Each team scored a run in the 6th. Neither team scored in the 7th or the 8th.

For a while, early in the season, Goldschmidt looked done. But, in the absence of Judge, Stanton, and now Grisham, he and Ben Rice have really picked up the pace. With 1 out in the top of the 9th, Goldschmidt singled. Ryan McMahon was sent in to pinch-run for him. And then Rice crushed a drive down the right-field line for a home run.

That should have been enough. But the Yankees weren't done. Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you. Domínguez drew a walk. Bellinger flew out, but Jazz Chisholm walked. And then José Caballero hit one out. Bednar was already warming up, and came in even though it wasn't a save situation. He allowed a leadoff single and a 2-out double, but never really got into trouble. Yankees 8, Blue Jays 3. Camilo Doval, who pitched a perfect 8th, was named the winning pitcher.

*

So, after taking 2 out of 3 from the Peskies, and 5 out of 6 on the roadtrip so far, the Yankees are 43-27, for a winning percentage of .614, on a pace to go 99-63. They have the best record in the American League, although 3 teams in the National League have a better record. They lead the AL Eastern Division by a game and a half over the Tampa Bay Rays (1 game in the loss column), 10 over the Jays, 10 1/2 over the Orioles, and 13 1/2 over the despised Boston Red Sox.

Tonight, they come home, and play the Chicago White Sox. They'd better be careful: These are not the Pale Hose who set a modern baseball record with 121 losses 2 years ago, or the South Siders who lost 102 last season. The White Sox are no joke: They are 38-32, leading the AL Central, and are coming of a 2-game sweep of the Atlanta Braves and 2 out of 3 from the Atlanta Braves -- along with the Milwaukee Brewers, 2 of the 3 NL teams that have a better record than the Yankees. Take them lightly at your peril.

Yankees Sweep Guardians, On to Jays

"Why aren't you writing about the Knicks?" I will -- when it's over. As Yogi Berra taught us, It ain't over 'til it's over.

The Yankees went to Cleveland and played the Guardians, formerly the Indians, and the Naps, and the Bronchos, and the Blues, at Progressive Field, formerly Jacobs Field.

Will Warren started on Monday night. Having gotten off to a really good start to the season, this was the 2nd straight time he'd pitched as poorly as I feared he would while "filling a hole in the starting rotation." He didn't make it out of the 5th inning, allowing 3 runs, 2 of them earned. Before the 6th inning had ended, Brent Headrick and Paul Blackburn had each added another.

Paul Goldschmidt hit a home run in the 1st inning, the 380th of his career, surpassing Orlando Cepeda and Tony Pérez, and tying the still-active Manny Machado. A month ago, I thought he was done. He wasn't. He'd previously surpassed the still-active Bryce Harper, who has 378; and the still-active Freddie Freeman, with 377. At this rate, he may pass the injured Aaron Judge, with 385.

But the Guardians took a 5-4 lead into the top of the 8th. Trent Grisham led off with a single, and he went to 3rd on a single by Ben Rice. Goldschmidt grounded into a force play that allowed Grisham to score the tying run.

The game went to extra innings, with Ali Sánchez as the Yankees' "ghost runner." A 29-year-old Venezuelan, he's a typical backup catcher, having bounced around the majors for 7 seasons, starting with the 2020 Mets, peaking at 96 plate appearances with the 2024 Miami Marlins, and batting .175 for his career. But with Austin Wells on the injured list, ol' Number 39 was necessary.

Grisham began the inning by flying out. But, Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you. In order to set up the inning-ending double play, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt ordered Rice intentionally walked, bringing the light-hitting (but defensively strong and versatile) Max Schuemann to the plate. Big mistake: He drew an unintentional walk to load the bases, and Cody Bellinger singled Grisham and Rice home. David Bednar pitched the 9th and the 10th for the win: Yankees 7, Guardians 5.

But, sometimes, the great pitchers don't pitch well, either. And we have to remember that Gerrit Cole is still coming off a long layoff. On Tuesday night, he only went 4 innings, throwing 83 pitches. He allowed 2 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks, striking out 4. Regardless of the game's result, the starting pitcher is disqualified from being named the winning pitcher unless he goes 5 full innings (presuming the game goes the full 9).

But Spencer Jones hit his 1st major league home run. Jazz Chisholm hit one, too -- using a bat loaned to him by Judge. Both went over 440 feet. I guess they didn't need a "little league ballpark." Chisholm's homer gave the Yankees a 3-2 lead in the 8th, and that would be the final. Since Camilo Doval was the current Yankee pitcher when Chisholm homered, it was Doval who was named the winning pitcher. Despite his 5.47 ERA, he is 2-0.

Carlos Rodón was okay in the Wednesday afternoon "getaway day" game, going 6 innings, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks, striking out 7. The Yankees took the lead in the top of the 6th, on José Caballero's sacrifice fly. Every Yankee starting hitter got at least 1 hit. Yankees 8, Guardians 4, for the sweep.

The Yankees are 41-26, on a pace to go 99-63. They are tied for 1st place in the American League Eastern Division with the Tampa Bay Rays, who have 2 games in hand, and are thus 1 game ahead in, Cliché Alert, the All-Important Loss Column.

Tonight, the Yankees continue their roadtrip, playing those pesky Toronto Blue Jays.

Yankees Struggle vs. Guardians, Face Red Sox

The Yankees played a midweek series at home, against the Cleveland Guardians. With both Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton sidelined due to injury, runs were expected to be harder to come by.

They were. Though I didn't expect our worst output to provide our best result.

On Tuesday night, Cam Schlittler had the worst start of his career. Not a terrible one, just a weak one: 4 1/3rd innings, 5 runs (4 earned) on 5 hits, although no walks, 3 strikeouts. He might have gotten away with it, had not the bullpen been bad, as Tim Hill allowed a run, and Camilo Doval allowed 3.

But the Yankees just couldn't get going and sustain it. Paul Goldschmidt went 3-for-4 with 4 RBIs, including his 379th career home run, surpassing Matt Williams on the all-time list, and tying him with Orlando Cepeda and Tony Pérez. But the rest of the Yankees only got 5 hits and no RBIs, and they lost, 9-4.

Gerrit Cole made his 3rd post-injury start on Wednesday night, but while his control was all right, he was hit hard: 5 1/3rd innings, 4 runs on 6 hits, although only 1 walk, and 2 strikeouts. Jazz Chisholm Jr. and José Caballero hit home runs, but, other than that, the Yankees had just 3 hits and a walk, and lost, 5-4.

Thursday afternoon, the dreaded day game after a night game. It turned out to be a dandy of a pitcher's duel between Carlos Rodón and Cleveland's Slade Cecconi. (Cliché Alert: Those names don't go together.) Through 6 innings, each had allowed just 1 run, and was looking like he wouldn't allow any more.

In the top of the 7th, Aaron Boone brought in Brent Headrick, and I cringed. But he got through the innings with no hits, and just a walk. Which brings up another Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you. Guardians manager Stephen Vogt brought Codi Heuer in, and, with 1 out, he walked Chisholm. He got Cabellero out, but Chisholm stole 2nd, and Heuer threw a wild pitch that got him to 3rd. Ryan McMahon, not known for his bat, singled Chisholm home. That proved to be the last run: Yankees 2, Guardians 1.

Things were looking up. The Yankees ended the day just half a game behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Eastern Division, although 2 back in the loss column. And they had done this despite all their injuries.

But, at night, came the bombshell: Judge, who had missed the entire series, had a broken rib, and would be out at least 4 to 6 weeks -- through the All-Star Break, and a little bit beyond.

If you have any "George Carlin words" to offer, now would be a good time.

And tonight, we start a series with The Scum themselves, the Boston Red Sox. Without Judge, without Stanton, without Max Fried, without Clarke Schmidt, all due to injury -- and without Cole, since his turn in the rotation will be skipped.

Here's the projected pitching matchups:

* Tonight, first pitch scheduled for 7:05, on YES: Ryan Weathers vs. Sonny Gray, who seems to be able to pitch well for any team except when he was with the Yankees.

* Tomorrow, 7:35, on Fox: Will Warren vs. Ranger Suarez.

* Sunday, 1:35, on YES: Schlittler vs. Connelly Early.

I'm not lookin' forward to this.

Yankees Gain Soggy Split vs. Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays, in 1st place in the American League Eastern Division, came into Yankee Stadium II for a Memorial Day Weekend series. Depending on how it went, the Yankees could have recovered nicely, and resumed a legitimate challenge for Title 28; or fallen out of the race for the Division title, and be left to seek a Wild Card berth.

In the end, little was settled.

Gerrit Cole made his long-awaited 2026 major league debut on Friday night. He went 6 innings, was allowed to throw 72 pitches, and 50 of them were strikes. He allowed 2 hits and 3 walks, and no runs. We couldn't have asked for a better return for the man who might be the best pitcher in baseball, and I don't what to hear about no Paul Skenes or no Tarik Skubal, and certainly about no Shohei Ohtani.

And, between them, relievers Brent Headrick, Fernando Cruz, Camilo Doval and David Bendar pitched 3 innings, and allowed no runs on 3 hits and no walks. Trent Grisham got 3 hits; while Cody Bellinger, Jazz Chisholm and José Caballero each had 2.

That's the good news. The bad news is, Caballero began the top of the 8th with an error, and Tim Hill then gave up single, RBI double, intentional walk, and 2-RBI single. Doval gave up a sacrifice fly that let in another run, but it was charged to Hill.

The Yankees got a home run from Austin Wells, leading off the 5th, and a double by Bellinger and a triple by Chisholm in the 8th. Otherwise, they had runners on 1st & 2nd with nobody out in the 1st, a leadoff single in the 2nd, a double and a single before the 2nd out in the 3rd, a single in the 4th, 2 singles in the 5th, a single with 1 out in the 6th, a runner on 3rd in the 8th (Chisholm), and a runner on 1st with 1 out in the 9th. Of all those runners mentioned after the word "otherwise," none scored.

Rays 4, Yankees 2. Cole was great, but came away with a no-decision.

On Saturday, it rained all day. Rather than collect a full night's worth of revenue from parking, food and souvenirs, the Yankees called it off quickly. The game will be made up later in the season. Yesterday would not feature a doubleheader.

Yesterday's game was a good one for purists. Ryan Weathers allowed 4 hits and 3 walks to the Rays, Drew Rasmussen allowed 5 hits and 1 walk to the Yankees, and both starting pitchers threw 7 shutout innings. For the Yankees, Fernando Cruz got into and out of trouble in the 8th, and Hill did so in the 9th, an an apparent attempt to redeem himself for his Friday night debacle.

Still, it was 0-0 going to the bottom of the 9th. The Yankees wasted a 1-out single by Aaron Judge in the 1st, and single and a steal by Chisholm in the 2nd, a 2-out single by Grisham in the 3rd, a single by Bellinger and a walk by Paul Goldschmidt in the 4th, a leadoff single by Grisham in the 6th, and a 1-out single by Ryan McMahon in the 8th.

Then came the bottom of the 9th. Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you, especially the leadoff variety. Although the Yankees had been killing nothing but their chances for most of the 1st 17 innings of this series -- 26, if you count the Saturday game not played at all. But Grisham led off the bottom of the 9th with a walk. Max Schuemann was sent in to pinch-run for him. It didn't matter, because he wouldn't have to run. Aaron Judge hit an opposite-field walkoff home run. Yankees 2, Rays 0.

For Judge, it broke a career-long 11-game streak without an RBI. It was his 17th home run of the season -- before Memorial Day. It was the 385th of his career, surpassing Harold Baines on the all-time list, and tying Dwight Evans. Next up: Aramis Ramírez at 386.

The Yankees go into Memorial Day at 31-22, a .585 winning percentage, a pace to go 95-67. That's usually good enough to finish 1st in the AL East. But they're still 4 1/2 games behind the Rays, 6 games in, Cliché Alert, the All-Important Loss Column.

I suppose it could be worse: On this Memorial Day, the Mets are in last place in the National League Eastern Division, 13 1/2 games out of 1st, 7 games out of the last NL Wild Card berth. Cliché Alert: Well, tonight, thank God it's them, instead of you.

While Memorial Day doubleheaders have gone the way of tailfins and the Brooklyn Dodgers, there are still Memorial Day matinées. This afternoon, at 3:40 Eastern Time (2:40 Central, and thus local), the Yankees begin a series away to the Kansas City Royals. The Royals are 22-31, the same record as the Mets. The Yankees need to win these games.

Yankees Sweep Orioles Amid Sterling Memorial

The Yankees were doing so well, looking like they might be launching a historic season, in spite of all their injuries.

And then, yesterday, we got word that John Sterling, Yankee broadcaster from 1989 to 2024, had passed away at the age of 87. To paraphrase the man himself: Ballgame over, life well lived over.

The Yankees played on, with the letters "JS" stitched in white on the backs of their caps. I suspect there will be a uniform sleeve mourning band or patch to come.

*

They began a weekend 4-game series with the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium II on Friday night. Will Warren, meant to plug one of the holes in the rotation caused by the long-term injuries to Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón and Clarke Schmidt, pitched very well again, going 6 1/3rd innings, allowing 2 runs, only 1 earned, on 3 hits and 1 walk, striking out 9.

His main support came in a 4-run 2nd inning that included home runs by José Caballero and Ben Rice. The Yankee bullpen allowed just 1 baserunner, a walk, and the Yankees began the series with a 7-2 win.

Ryan Weathers was also meant to be a hole-plugger. On Saturday afternoon, he only went 5 innings, because he had thrown 90 pitches. He allowed 3 runs, but only 1 earned, on 3 hits and 2 walks, striking out 5.

But Cody Bellinger had himself a very nice day. How nice was it? 4-for-4 with 2 home runs and 4 RBIs. Trent Grisham also homered, and the Yanks beat the O's, 9-4.

On Sunday, in the last game that John Sterling would ever see, Max Fried had a rare struggling start, going just 5 1/3rd innings, throwing 107 pitches, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks, although he did strike out 9. The bullpen pitched shutout ball the rest of the way, allowing 3 hits and no walks. Fernando Cruz turned out to be the winning pitcher.

Rice hit another home run, his 12th of the season. Aaron Judge hit his 13th, to retake the American League lead. Returning from injury to make his 1st major league appearance of the season, highly-touted prospect Jasson Domínguez, "The Martian," went 3-for-5 with a home run and 3 RBIs. With 7 runs in the bottom of the 8th, the Yankees pulled away, and won, 11-3.

The Yankees gave Sterling one last smile.

Last night, a pregame ceremony was held in his memory. Highlights of his calls were played on the big video board in center field. Two of his former broadcast partners, Michael Kay and Suzyn Waldman, walked onto the field, and each laid a bouquet of flowers on home plate.

Like Fried the day before, Cam Schlittler struggled, going 5 2/3rds innings, allowing only 1 run, but 7 hits and 3 walks. Fortunately, the bullpen threw shutout ball the rest of the way.

Judge went 2-for-4 with a walk and 4 RBIs, including a home run. It was the 382nd of his career. On the all-time list, this surpassed Albert Belle, and tied Frank Howard, Jim Rice and Ryan Howard (no relation to Frank). Next up on the all-time list: Larry Walker, with 383.

Yankees 12, Orioles 1. The Orioles did not hold a lead in any of the 36 innings of this series.

*

We are now 21 percent of the way into the season, 1/5th. The Yankees are 24-11, a pace for 111 wins, having won winning 13 of their last 15. They have done this without 3 projected starting pitchers, and also without Domínguez until Sunday.

They have also done this without their intended starting shortstop, Anthony Volpe. But Caballero has played so well, they Yankees decided to send Volpe to their Class AAA team in Scranton (actually, Moosic), Pennsylvania. They had to do either that, or promote him (meaning they would have to clear a roster spot), or waive him, or "designate him for assignment," or release him outright. They chose the path most likely to make him a contributing player in the future.

The Yankees have the best record in the American League. Only the Atlanta Braves, by half a game (1 more win and the same number of losses) have a better one in the National League. The Yankees lead the AL Eastern Division by a game and a half over the Tampa Bay Rays, 8 over the Toronto Blue Jays, 9 over the Orioles, and 10 over the despised Boston Red Sox.

Tonight, the Yankees start a home series with the Texas Rangers, from whom they took 2 out of 3 last week. Elmer Rodríguez makes his 2nd major league appearance and start, against Jacob deGrom. For his career, Rodríguez is 0-1, while the fragile deGrom is 98-66. Perhaps Rodríguez will end up with more career wins.

Come on you Pinstripes!

Yanks Beat Cheats, North and South

Six games, three at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox, the old enemy, the cheating bastards; and three at Daikin Park (formerly Minute Maid Park, formerly Enron Field) against the Houston Astros, the new enemy, the Chicken Fried Cheats.

A Yankee Fan having watched the team from 2004 onward, and especially from 2015 onward, could be forgiven for expecting a bad run, even if the Yankees did go into this trip with a 3-game winning streak.

Giancarlo Stanton was the star on Tuesday night, leading off the top of the 2nd inning with a tremendous drive over the Green Monster, and across Lansdowne Street. It was his 456th career home run.

Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you, especially the leadoff variety. Amed Rosario and Aaron Judge walked to start the top of the 6th, and after Ben Rice struck out, Stanton doubled off the wall to get them home. A Randal Grichuk double in the 8th made it 4-0.

Luis Gil started for the Yankees, and put together a good start after coming off the Injured List with 2 bad ones. He went 6 1/3rd shutout innings, allowing 2 hits and 3 walks. Brent Headrick, Tim Hill and David Bednar completed the 4-hit shutout.

I enjoyed that game.

*

The Wednesday night game began with Paul Goldschmidt grounding out. After Judge walked, Cody Bellinger struck out. But Stanton hit another double off the wall. This being the Green Monster, it was too close for Judge to score all the way from 1st base. No matter: Rosario hit one over the Monster for a home run, and it was 3-0 Bronx Bombers. Rosario made it 4-0 with a sacrifice fly in the 3rd.

That was plenty for Max Fried, who pitched 8 shutout innings, allowing 3 hits and 2 walks, striking out 9. Headrick allowed a run in the 9th, but it ended Yankees 4, Red Sox 1.

I enjoyed that game, too.

*

On Thursday night, the Sox actually took a lead, 1-0 in the bottom of the 2nd. But in the top of the 5th, the seriously struggling Jazz Chisholm finally hit his 1st home run of the season. The Sox took the lead back in the bottom of the 5th, 2-1, and it was beginning to look like a nice performance by Cam Schlittler was going to go to waste.

But with 1 out in the top of the 7th, Trent Grisham, Chisholm and José Caballero all singled, loading the bases. Austin Wells struck out. Then, Red Sox manager Alex Cora brought in former Yankee reliever Greg Weissert. There's a reason Weissert isn't with the Yankees anymore: He can't pitch at the major league level. Bellinger singled home Gresham and Chisholm, and Judge singled home Caballero. It was 4-2 Yankees.

And it stayed 4-2 Yankees, because Schlitt was it. Schlitt was too legit to quit. He went 8 innings, allowing 2 runs, 1 earned, 4 hits and 1 walk, striking out 5. Bednar pitched a perfect 9th.

I enjoyed this game. I enjoyed this entire series. The Yankees didn't turn Fenway into a little green pinball machine, which is not that hard to do. But they held the Red Sox 3 runs in their own house, and swept them, extending their winning streak to 6 games.

The Sox fired Cora, and his entire coaching staff -- except for Jason Varitek, who had been the captain of, and the catcher on, their World Championship teams of 2004* and 2007*. Him, they reassigned to another role in the organization. Couldn't fire him.

*

On to Houston, and the Asterisks' copycat of Fenway, with the retractable roof and the train atop the left field wall.

On Friday night, the Yankees got 3 runs from "small ball" in the 1st inning, a home run from Ryan McMahon to lead off the top of the 2nd, and another Chisholm homer in the 4th. More small ball produced 3 more runs in the 6th. In the 7th, they used small ball and the long ball, getting home runs from Rice and Caballero.

Will Warren sure didn't pitch like he was merely filling an injury-caused hole in the Yankee rotation: He went 6 innings, allowing 2 runs on 7 hits, but only 1 walk, striking out 6. Fernando Cruz ran into trouble in the 7th, but Ryan Yarbrough pitched the 8th and the 9th. Yankees 12, Astros 4.

Given the recent histories with both teams, I enjoyed this game more than I did the sweep of the Sox.

*

The Astros struck first on Saturday, leading 1-0 after the 1st and 2nd innings. Grisham homered in the 3rd to tie the game. Caballero homered in the 5th to give the Yankees the lead. The Astros tied it in the 6th, meaning that Ryan Weathers, who had pitched well until then, wouldn't be the winning pitcher.

Fernando Cruz would: He finished the 6th, while Jake Bird pitched a perfect 7th, Camilo Doval pitched a hitless 8th, and Tim Hill allowed a run in the 9th. Austin Wells homered in the 7th, and, again, as Hall of Fame Giant 2nd baseman and later broadcaster Frankie Frisch would have said, "Oh, those bases on balls!" With 1 out, Caballero singled, Grisham walked, Rice singled, and then 3 straight walks, to Judge, Bellinger and Chisholm, the last 2 each forcing in a run.

Rice added a sac fly in the 8th. Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you, especially the leadoff variety. Bellinger led off the 9th with a walk. After Chisholm flew out, Rosario, Wells and McMahon all singled, producing 2 more runs. Yankees 8, Astros 3. An 8-game winning streak: 3 at home to Kansas City, 3 away to Boston, and 2 away to Houston. All teams that have pissed me off over the years.

I enjoyed that game. A lot.

*

I did not enjoy yesterday's game. Gil did not have it, allowing 6 runs in the 1st 4 innings. Having had 3 of his 4 starts be bad ones, he was sent down to Scranton after the game. Paul Blackburn allowed only 1 run over the next 3 innings, and Yarbrough pitched a perfect 9th.

But the Yankees couldn't get going until it was too late. Judge hit a home run, on his 34th birthday. It was the 378th of his career, surpassing Norm Cash and Jeff Kent, and tying Matt Williams. Next up, at 379: Orlando Cepeda and Tony Pérez.

The Yanks scored 3 in the top of the 9th, but it was nowhere near enough: Astros 7, Yankees 4. End of streak.

*

We are 17 percent of the way through the season, 1/6th. The Yankees are 18-10. They have the best record in the American League. They lead the Eastern Division by a game and a half over the Tampa Bay Rays, 5 over the Baltimore Orioles, 5 1/2 over the Toronto Blue Jays, and 7 over the Red Sox. In the all-important loss column: 1 over the Rays, 5 over the O's and the Jays, and 7 over The Scum.

They have achieved this without Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón or Clarke Schmidt being available. They have achieved this despite 4 regulars -- Wells, Chisholm, Grisham and McMahon -- having OPS+'s of 85 or lower. They have done this despite Judge batting just .230, although he has 10 home runs and 18 RBIs.

I'll take those problems, if I can also take those results.

As for the Mets and their fans, well, in the immortal words of Bono, "Well, tonight, thank God it's them, instead of you!"

The Yankees are still in Texas, albeit in the Dallas area. Tonight, they start a 3-game series away to the Texas Rangers. Then, after a travel day on Thursday, they start a 3-game home weekend series against the Baltimore Orioles.

Yanks Split Slugfest Series with Angels; Garret Anderson, 1972-2026

The Yankees played 4 games at home against the Los Angeles Angels. The Monday night game was a wild one, the kind of game that tends to make people think, "If we can win this game, nobody's going to stop us."

The Yankees took a 4-0 lead on home runs Aaron Judge and José Caballero. But just as Caballero giveth, he tooketh away, making an error at shortstop to start the top of the 4th inning. Will Warren then got a groundout, but followed that by allowing a double, then getting a strikeout. Then, between them, he and Fernando Cruz gave up 2 singles and 3 walks, for 4 unearned runs and a tie game.

Trent Grisham hit a home run in the 5th. Mike Trout and Aaron Judge traded long home runs in the 6th. Trout hit another bomb in the 8th, and that gave the Angels a 10-8 lead. It was only the 2nd time in MLB history that 2 players who had each already won 3 Most Valuable Player awards had both hit 2 home runs in the same game. The 1st one was in 1956: Stan Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals, and Roy Campanella of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Jazz Chisholm led off the bottom of the 9th with a single, and Grisham hit another home run. Caballero made up for his error with a double, Austin Wells drew a walk, and the runners moved up on defensive indifference. The moment was set for the terribly struggling Ryan McMahon to be the hero, but the chance was taken away from him when Angel reliever Jordan Romano threw a wild pitch, to let Caballero home. Yankees 11, Angels 10. Paul Blackburn ended up as the winning pitcher.

*

But there was no momentum. The Tuesday night game was lousy, as Ryan Weathers had another bad start, including Trout starting a streak of 3 straight home runs in the 1st inning. And Angel starter Reid Detmers just stopped the Yankees cold. Their only run came in the bottom of the 8th, on a Randal Grichuk double, a Wells single, and a Ben Rice sacrifice fly. Other than that, they only had 3 baserunners, all singles. Angels 7, Yankees 1.

Luis Gil started on Wednesday night, and, clearly, he still isn't ready, allowing 4 runs in 5 innings. Judge and Trout each hit another home run. The Angels led 4-3 with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th. Then Chisholm singled, Wells walked, and Caballero doubled them home. Yankees 5, Angels 4. Winning pitcher: David Bednar.

Because the Angels needed a getaway day, the Yankees played yesterday in the afternoon, and it was hot in The Bronx, reaching a high of 96 degrees. But Max Fried had nothing, and the bullpen was worse. Judge, Rice and Giancarlo Stanton all homered, but Trout hit another, and the Angels won, 11-4, to gain a split.

Career home runs: Stanton, Yankees, 455; Trout, Angels, 411; Judge, Yankees, 376; Paul Goldschmidt, Yankees, 373.

The Yankees started the season 7-1. They are now 10-9, and they need to get their act back in gear. They start a 3-game home series with the Kansas City Royals tonight.

*

But the Angels and their fans got some bad news today: Garret Anderson died today, at age 53, after what's currently being described as "a medical emergency" at his home outside Los Angeles.

The left fielder played 15 seasons for the Angels, then 1 more each for the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers. He batted .293, collected 2,529 hits including 287 home runs, had 4 straight seasons of at least 100 RBIs, made 3 All-Star Games, and helped the Angels make the postseason 5 times, including winning the 2002 World Series. He is a member of their team Hall of Fame.

Yankees Clinch Playoff With Walkoff

Surely, the Yankees should be able to win a home game against the Chicago White Sox, the worst team in baseball these last couple of years.

They almost didn't. They nearly wasted a nice start by Luis Gil, who went 6 innings, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks. But because he threw 89 pitches, Aaron Boone did not send him out for the 7th.

Actually, the bullpen wasn't the problem at all. Fernando Cruz pitched a scoreless 7th, Tim Hill got the 1st 2 outs in the 8th, and Luke Weaver got the last 4 outs. Overall, the pitching was just what the doctor ordered.

Pitching like that deserves runs. In the 2nd inning, the Yankees got a leadoff walk from Jazz Chisholm, a single from Anthony Volpe, and a double by Austin Wells. But they stranded 2 runners in the 1st inning, 1 in the 3rd, 1 in the 4th, 1 in the 6th, and 2 in the 8th; and had runners eliminated on a failed stretching of a single into a double by Ben Rice in the 5th, and a double play in the 7th. And the Pale Hose's runs came in the 6th, when neither Cody Bellinger nor Trent Grisham seemed to want to catch a Kyle Teel looper, and Colson Montgomery followed that with a home run off Gil. 2-1, White Sox.

Bottom of the 9th. Volpe led off with a single, a rare 2-hit game for him. Wells singled. We were in business. But Grisham grounded into a double play, eliminating himself and Wells, moving Volpe to 3rd. With 1st base open, Aaron Judge was walked intentionally. Bellinger drew a walk on Brandon Eisert, and ball 4 was a wild pitch, enabling Volpe to score, and Judge to go to 2nd.

It was somewhat appropriate that the winning run came on the same kind of hit that started the South Siders' now-gone lead. José Cabellero hit one to center field, and Michael A. Taylor probably should have caught it. He didn't, letting it drop in front of him. Judge came around 3rd, and slid home with the winning run.

Yankees 3, White Sox 2. The win clinched a Playoff berth, the Yankees' 60th postseason appearance.

In the locker room after the game, Boone told the Yankees, "We've been through a lot already. This is our first box to check. We gotta get in. We're in. Don't take that shit for granted. We are in the Playoffs. We got a lot more to do, right? We got a lot of bigger goals. But enjoy this celebration."

The Boston Red Sox, who needed a win to keep their Playoff hopes alive, beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 4-1 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. That reduced the Jays' lead in the American League Eastern Division to just 1 game. However, under the rules now in place, it's really 2 games, since the Jays own the 1st tiebreaker, head-to-head play. If the teams finish tied for 1st, the Jays get the title and 1 of the top 3 seeds in the AL Playoffs, instead of the old version, which would have required a Playoff for the Division title.

But that's 2 games with 5 to play. The Yankees are still very much in that race.

Tonight, the Yankees send Max Fried to the mound, against Fraser Ellard.

Yanks Bash Rays Twice, Bring On the Auld Enemy

The Yankees made a short trip to their Spring Training home of George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, which the Tampa Bay Rays are using as their emergency home field, after Hurricane Milton wrecked their usual home, Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, last October 10. As "Dr. Funkenstein," George Clinton, would have said, it tore the roof off the sucker.

Incidentally, you know how Rays fans have said that they would have higher attendance if they played in Tampa instead of St. Petersburg? Well, they're averaging 9,872 fans per home game at The House The Boss Built. It seats 11,026. In other words, even with a good team in a good location, they can't even fill a minor-league stadium on a regular basis. It is time to move the Rays.

The Yankees? Currently averaging 42,683, 1st in the American League, 2nd in all of Major League Baseball behind the defending World Champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, at 49,961. The Mets are averaging 39,371, 3,312 fewer than the Yankees, although closer to a sellout at their place, and good enough for 4th in the National League, and 5th overall.

*

Anyway. On Tuesday night, how many times did the Yankees hit a home run?

Yup. It's the 2nd time this season they've hit 9 home runs in a game, tying the team record, and 1 off the MLB record set by the 1987 Toronto Blue Jays.

Trent Grisham began the Tuesday night game with a strikeout. This was followed by a home run by Aaron Judge, a home run by Cody Bellinger, and a home run by Giancarlo Stanton. Back-to-back-to-back. José Caballero hit one in the 2nd inning. Jazz Chisholm hit one in the 3rd. Stanton and Ben Rice hit back-to-back jacks in the 4th. Bellinger hit another one in the 6th. And Caballero hit another one in the 9th.

Carlos Rodón was the beneficiary of all this unloading of lumber. He cruised for 6 innings, and 3 relievers kept the Rays from mounting a comeback. Yankees 13, Rays 3.

The Wednesday night game was the opposite: Grisham led it off with a home run, but the rest of it would be considerably harder. Austin Wells added a home run in the 5th. Cam Schlittler had a perfect game after 6 innings. But after a single and 2 walks, Aaron Boone lifted him with 2 outs in the 7th, and Luke Weaver ended the threat with a strikeout. Grisham hit another homer in the top of the 8th, and it was 3-0 Yankees.

But Weaver gave up a home run in the bottom of the 8th, and David Bednar gave up a walk, a single and a double in the 9th, and it was on to extra innings. Stanton and Wells began the top of the 10th with back-to-back homers. Counting the "ghost runner," it was 6-3 Yankees.

Boone trusted the bottom of the 10th to Devin Williams. From Albany in the north to Cape May in the south, from Montauk in the east to Scranton in the west, Yankee Fans said, "Boonie, are you out of your mind?" Williams allowed a single to make it 6-4, and then a double. The winning run had come to the plate. But then, he struck out the side, nailing down the win. Between them, the Yankee pitchers had 16 strikeouts on the night.

Stanton is the active leader in career home runs, with 444. Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels has 398. Paul Goldschmidt, currently on the Injured List with the Yankees, has 372. Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres has 363. Freddie Freeman of the Los Angeles Dodgers has 358. Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies has 357. And Judge has 355. 

*

The Yankees have 36 games left. They trail the Toronto Blue Jays by 4 games, 3 in the all-important loss column. The Boston Red Sox trail the Jays by 5 1/2, the Rays trail by 12 1/2, and the Baltimore Orioles trail by 14.

Tonight, the Yankees return home, to face the Sox. The Auld Enemy. The Scum. That lot up I-95. Here are the projected pitching matchups:

* Tonight, first pitch scheduled for 7:15, on Fox: Luis Gil vs. Lucas Giolito.

* Tomorrow night, 7:05, on Amazon Prime: Max Fried vs. Brayan Bello.

* Saturday afternoon, 1:05, the only game of this series that will be on YES: Will Warren vs. Garret Crochet. Atrocious Pun Alert: I wonder how soon Crochet will get the hook? 

* Sunday night, 7:10, on ESPN: Rodón is slated for the Yankees, while the Sox have not yet chosen a starter.

Come on you Pinstripes!