Yanks Getting Healthier, But Need to Win

After taking 2 of 3 from The Other Team, and discovering Legionnaire's disease in the cooling tower at Yankee Stadium -- funny how that happened while Met fans were in the building -- the Yankees rather conveniently began a roadtrip, facing the Minnesota Twins at Target Field in Minneapolis.

Will Warren started on Monday night, and allowed 2 runs in 5 2/3rds innings. José Caballero got the Bronx Bombers on the board with a solo home run in the 3rd. It was 2-1 Twins when the top of the 8th began with a double by George Lombard Jr. This was followed by a single by Ryan McMahon, a strikeout by Austin Wells, an RBI single by Caballero, a 2-RBI single by Ben Rice, an infield single by Cody Bellinger, and Aaron Judge's 1st home run since coming off the Injured List, his 1st since May. It was the 386th of his career, and it went 411 feet into the 2nd deck of the bleachers.

This made Tim Hill the pitcher of record, but he allowed a home run in the bottom half of the inning. But Wells added a homer in the 9th, and the Yankees won, 8-3.

Max Fried started on Tuesday night, and was allowed to go 7 innings, allowing just 1 run. Bellinger homered in the 1st inning, Spencer Jones did so in the 6th, and the Yankees won, 8-1.

Yesterday afternoon's game turned out to be frustrating. Carlos Rodón pitched well, allowing 2 runs over 6 innings, and Clarke Schmidt returned from the IL, though he only faced 4 batters, getting 2 of them out. But the Yankees didn't score until the 9th, getting singles from Lombard and Paul Goldschmidt, and a 2-RBI double from Anthony Volpe, sending the game to extra innings.

Each team scored a run in the 10th, and again in the 11th, thanks to the stupid "ghost runner" rule. But the Yankees stranded a runner on 1st in the 10th, and had men on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out in the 12th, but couldn't score. In the bottom of the 13th, Victor Caratini singled Luke Keaschall home with the winning run, off David Bednar: Twins 5, Yankees 4.

*

The Yankees have clinched at least a Playoff berth, but trail the Tampa Bay Rays by 4 1/2 games in the American League Eastern Division. They have 10 games left, the Rays 11, including 4 against each other. The Yankees have today off, while the Rays finish a series with the Sacramento Athletics this afternoon.

Starting tomorrow night, the Yankees have 3 away to the Arizona Diamondbacks, while the Rays have 3 at home to the Boston Red Sox. In other words, we have to root for the Red Sox. We're gonna need a lot of showers this weekend.

Then come 4 in The Bronx between the Yankees and Rays. The Yankees then finish the regular season with 3 at home to the Baltimore Orioles, while the Rays finish with 3 away to the Philadelphia Phillies. In other words, the 4 between them aside, the schedule is a bit friendlier to the Yankees. Can we take advantage? We are getting healthier, but we still need to win.

Yanks Struggle to Score Over the Border

Over the weekend, the Yankees' injury-induced difficulty in scoring runs continued, over the border in Toronto. And those pesky Blue Jays took advantage, nearly sweeping the series.

When it should have been the other way around.

On Friday night, Gerrit Cole pitched 6 innings, allowing 2 runs, 1 of them earned, 5 hits and 2 walks, striking out 5. On Saturday afternoon, Cam Schlittler went 5 1/3rd innings, allowing 1 run on 4 hits and 3 walks, striking out 7. And on Sunday afternoon, Ryan Weathers went 7 1/3rd innings, allowing 1 run on 6 hits and 1 walk, striking out 7.

I'll do that math for you: For the Yankee starters, that's 3 earned runs, times 9, is 27; divided by 18 2/3rds innings, for an ERA of 1.45. If that's what your starters give you in 3 games, your hitters should hit enough for you to win 3 games.

On Friday, Trent Grisham led off the top of the 6th inning with a home run. Other than that, the Yankees got 4 hits and a walk, and lost, 3-1.

On Saturday, Spencer Jones led off the top of the 2nd with a single, stole 2nd, and was singled home by George Lombard Jr. Other than that, the Yankees got 2 singles and 2 walks. Brent Headrick allowed a run in the 7th, and Tim Hill allowed 2 in the 8th, and the Yankees lost, 4-1.

Over the 1st 9 innings on Sunday, the Yankees got 2 runs on 4 hits and 5 walks. David Bednar blew the save in the 9th, and sent the game to extra innings.

In the top of the 10th, José Caballero bunted "ghost runner" Ali Sánchez over to 3rd base. Although the right thing to do, it proved unnecessary, because Ben Rice hit a home run. This made it 4-2 Yankees, and put Bednar in position to be the winning pitcher. Personally, I believe that a pitcher who blows a save should be disqualified from being the winning pitcher, and the credit should go to someone else, at the discretion of the official scorer.

Hill relieved in the bottom of the 10th. He got a groundout, then allowed an RBI single that made it 4-3. I got a sinking feeling. But he got the next 2 men out, and the Yankees had salvaged the series finale.

*

There are 38 games left in the regular season, to be played over 6 weeks. The Tampa Bay Rays lead the American League Eastern Division by 5 1/2 games over the Yankees, 8 1/2 over the Boston Red Sox, 13 1/2 over the Baltimore Orioles, and 14 1/2 over the Toronto Blue Jays. Cliché Alert: In the All-Important Loss Column, the Rays lead the Yanks by 6, the Sox by 9, the O's by 14 and the Jays by 16.

One of my guidelines is that if there are fewer games behind than weeks remaining, you can still win the Division, because making up 1 game per week shouldn't be too much to ask. So the Yankees can still win the Division.

If they get healthy. They cannot go on with Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Clay Bellinger all injured. Manager Aaron Boone said that Bellinger will play minor-league games this week, as part of his rehab, and could be activated for the weekend. Starting pitcher Carlos Rodón and reliever Luis Gil are pitching well in rehab games, and while their return aren't a must, either would be a boost.

Judge has begun playing catch as part of rehab, but he still hasn't swung a bat since May 31. Stanton has been running bases, but that's it. I still don't expect either of them back before September 1. Starter Clarke Schmidt also won't be back before September 1, and if he does come back, there might not be a place in the rotation for him, so Boone is considering putting him in the bullpen.

Today was a travel day for the Yankees. Tomorrow night, they begin a 3-game series in Baltimore.

Yanks Got to Get Them Healthy

The Yankees had a home midweek series with the Seattle Mariners. In 3 games, they allowed 7 runs. Sounds like a sweep, right?

Sadly, that was not the case.

Tuesday night went well. Ryan Weathers went 5 2/3rds innings, allowing 1 run on 2 hits and 3 walks. Tim Hill got the last out in the 6th and pitched the 7th, Brent Headrick pitched the 8th, and David Bednar the 9th; and a 1-out single from Bednar was the only baserunner the bullpen allowed.

But it was 1-0 Mariners at the 7th inning stretch. Then... It's too bad there's no player named Daniel on the roster, because this team could be called "Danny & the Juniors." Luis García Jr. led off with a double, Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled, and George Lombard Jr. struck out. Spencer Jones walked to load the bases, and Ryan McMahon singled García and Chisholm home. Austin Wells singled, and Trent Grisham singled Jones and McMahon home. That was the ballgame: Yankees 4, Mariners 1. Hill was the winning pitcher.

Wednesday night got off to a rough start, as Will Warren allowed 3 runs in the 1st inning, and 1 each in the 3rd and the 5th. But 5 relievers went 5 innings, allowing no runs on 3 hits and 3 walks. The Yankees got a run in the 2nd, and 2 in the 3rd, and tied it up in the 5th, on a home run by Grisham, followed by back-to-back doubles by Ben Rice and Jones.

With 1 out in the 7th, and the game still 5-5, Lombard singled. Grisham doubled him home. Rice singled Grisham home. Jones was hit by a pitch. García struck out. Heliot Ramos, in spite of hitting poorly since the Yankees acquired him, was intentionally walked, so that the M's could face the struggling Chisholm. But he drew his own walk to force Rice home. It was 8-5.

In the 8th, Lombard singled, and Grisham hit one out. That made the final score 10-5. Paul Blackburn, having allowed just 1 walk in an inning and 2/3rds, was the winning pitcher.

Then came the dreaded day game after a night game. Max Fried, still working his way back from injury, was strong for 5 innings, making 1 mistake, a 2nd inning home run to Weston Wilson. Between them, Fried and 3 relievers allowed just the 1 run on 5 hits and 3 walks, striking out 10.

But Logan Gilbert made sure the Yankees got nowhere. They wasted a leadoff double by García in the 2nd, 1-out singles by Ali Sánchez and Grisham in the 3rd, a 1-out single by García in the 4th, and a 1-out walk by Rice in the 6th. José Caballero and McMahon walked in the 7th, but couldn't be brought home, and the Yankees went down meekly in the 8th and the 9th. Great pitching, wasted: Mariners 1, Yankees 0.

*

We have reached the point where one of my annual tropes comes in: If the number of games behind is less than the number of weeks left in the regular season, there's still hope. If you can gain an average of one game a week, you can win the Division.

There are 7 weekends and 6 full weeks left. And the Yankees trail the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Eastern Division by... six and a half games. 6 1/2. And, Cliché Alert: It's 7 in the All-Important Loss Column. The Boston Red Sox trail by 9 1/2 (10), the Toronto Blue Jays by 16 1/2 (15), and the Baltimore Orioles by 16 1/2 (17). The Yanks still hold the 4th spot the AL Playoff seedings. The Yanks, Sox and O's have 41 games left; the Rays, 42; the Jays, 39.

Here's those remaining 41 games:

* Starting tonight, and running through Sunday: At Toronto.

* August 18 to 20: At Baltimore.

* August 21-23: Home to Toronto.

* August 25-27: Home to Houston.

* August 28-30 (4 games, including a doubleheader on the 29th): Home to Boston.

* August 31-September 2: Away to the Los Angeles Angels.

* September 4-6: Away to San Diego.

* September 8-10: Home to Colorado.

* September 11-13: Home to the Mets.

* September 14-16: Away to Minnesota.

* September 18-20: Away to Arizona.

* September 22-24 (4 games, including a doubleheader on the 22nd): Home to Tampa Bay.

* September 25-27: Home to Baltimore.

But, since the All-Star Break, the Yankees have a team ERA of 2.93, best in the AL; but a team batting average of .210, worst in the AL. That's what happens when you have Judge, Stanton and Bellinger, and all of them are injured at the same time.

Injury updates, in current presumed order of return:

* Carlos Rodón: Had what may be his last minor-league rehab start last night. His next start may be in the series in Baltimore.

* Cody Bellinger: Has been taking batting, running and fielding practice. Three days ago, Aaron Boone said he was at "90 percent of his top speed." He might also be back for the Baltimore series.

* Luis Gil: Began minor-league rehab relief appearances 3 days ago. He probably won't return until at least the next homestand, on August 21. If he pitches at all in the regular season, he could be key to straightening out the bullpen.

* Giancarlo Stanton: Has begun running, as well as hitting and fielding. Could return before September 1.

* Clarke Schmidt: Had cramping in his right forearm during a "live batting practice" session on August 4. Has resumed playing catch, but hasn't yet thrown off a mound again. I wouldn't expect him back before September 1.

* Aaron Judge: Has been "cleared for light exercises," which is vague as hell. Who knows? Maybe they should just shut him down until the last week, and then unleash him in time for the postseason.

Got to get them healthy, especially those hitters.

Yanks End 1st Half With Sweep In Washington

Although 96 games means nearly 60 percent of the regular season is done, the All-Star Break is the official halfway point, and the Yankees closed the official 1st half with a series away to the Washington Nationals.

Ryan Weathers started on Friday night, and allowed 1 run on 6 hits and no walks. He was backed by home runs from Ben Rice in the 1st inning and Jasson Domínguez in the 4th, and left with a 2-1 lead in the 6th. But Tim Hill allowed back-to-back home runs in the 7th, so, in spite of the Nats going with a bullpen game, the Yankees trailed 3-2 with 1 out in the top of the 9th.

But Domínguez singled, and Jazz Chisholm and Austin Wells hit home runs. David Bednar pitched 2 perfect innings for the win. Yankees 5, Nationals 3.

Cam Schlittler started on Saturday afternoon, and allowed home runs to the Nats' 2 best hitters, James Wood and Curtis Mead, in the 1st inning. After that, he was brilliant, lasting into the 7th inning. But, despite the Nats again going with a bullpen game, the Yankees trailed 2-0 with 1 out in the 8th.

Then came a home run by Ryan McMahon, a walk by Rice, a home run by Trent Grisham, and a home run by Paul Goldschmidt, the 387th of his career. That made the Yankees 4-2 winners, and Brent Headrick the winning pitcher.

Will Warren started on Sunday afternoon. RBI singles by Chisholm and Wells in the 5th inning staked him to a 2-1 lead. And he'd only thrown 83 pitches. But Aaron Boone panicked, and brought Hill in, and he blew the lead. It was 3-2 Nats with 2 outs in the top of the 8th.

Then Max Schuemann singled, Grisham drew a walk, and Rice hit a triple to bring them home. They added a run in the 9th, and won, 4-2. Ryan Yarbrough was the winning pitcher.

So the Yankees managed to get a 3-game sweep on the road, even though they trailed late in all 3, and none of their starting pitchers ended up as the winning pitcher.

*

So here's where the Yankees stand at the All-Star Break:

* They are 54-42, for a winning percentage of .563. Over a 162-game span, that works out to a record of 91-71. That should be enough to make the Playoffs, but it probably won't be enough to in the American League Eastern Division.

The Tampa Bay Rays lead the Division by 3 games over the Yankees, 10 over the Boston Red Sox, 11 1/2 over the Baltimore Orioles, and 12 over the Toronto Blue Jays. In the all-important loss column, the Rays lead the Yanks by 4, the Sox by 10, and the O's and the Jays by 12.

* If the current standings hold to the end of the season, the Yankees would be the 4th seed in the AL Playoffs. In other words, they would make the Playoffs, but not win the Division, putting them in a bad position to win the Pennant. In other words, for the Brian Cashman Era, the usual.

* They have achieved this despite the usual rotten luck with injuries. At no time this season have they had 3 of their planned 5 starting pitchers available: They began the season with Gerrit Cole, Clarke Schmidt and Carlos Rodón on the Injured List; and they go into the All-Star Break with Schmidt, Rodón and Max Fried on it. Hitting-wise, they began the season with Domínguez, Anthony Volpe and Oswaldo Cabrera on it; now, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are on it; and, in addition to the preceding, Goldschmidt and Wells have spent significant time on it.

* Rice, Judge, Goldschmidt, Grisham, Cody Bellinger have been productive. McMahon, Max Schuemann, Amed Rosario, José Caballero have been nice surprises.

* On the other hand, Stanton has barely played. Volpe, Domínguez, Wells and, so far, highly-touted prospect Spencer Jones have been letdowns.

* Schlittler is 9-5, with a 2.05 ERA and a 0.944 WHIP, both of which lead the AL. Before getting hurt, Fried was 4-3, 3.21 and 1.005; Rodón was 4-2, 3.30 and 1.252. Filling holes in the rotation, Warren is 7-4, 4.03 and 1.363; and Weathers is 3-7, 4.15 and 1.239. So Warren has a good record, while Weathers has a good WHIP.

* On the other hand, both Warren and Weathers are too high in ERA, and Weathers has a bad record. Cole came back too soon: He's 3-4 and 4.04, although his WHIP is 1.204.

* The bullpen has been a mixed bag. Bednar has 18 saves, Yarbrough 2, and 1 each for Fernando Cruz, Camilo Doval and Paul Blackburn. ERAs for relievers with at least 30 innings pitched: Headrick 1.55, Blackburn 2.22, Cruz 2.25, Bednar 2.70, Yarbrough 4.14, Hill 4.50, Jake Bird 4.50, Doval 4.58. WHIPs: Blackburn 1.089, Bednar 1.100, Hill 1.111, Headrick 1.187, Yarbrough 1.216, Cruz 1.225, Doval 1.358, Bird 1.367.

Hill is typical of this. He has a great WHIP, but a horrible ERA for a reliever. He has given up 7 home runs, more than any Yankee pitcher except Weathers, Warren, Schlittler and Cole, all starters. And he has hit 4 batters, more than any Yankee pitcher except Bird, with 5. And if you count hit batsmen as baserunners for which he's responsible, his WHIP rises to 1.222, which is very good for a starter, not so much for a reliever.

* Injury updates: Fried threw live batting practice on Saturday, and will make a rehab start on Friday, so he should be back before July ends. Rodón threw today, and is set to throw every day this week, which is encouraging. Stanton has resumed running, and is expected to return later in the month. Schmidt is having bullpen sessions, and is expected to begin facing hitters this month, which suggests an August return. Judge is set for a re-imaging during the Break, so we still don't know when he's coming back. This is also true of Luis Gil.

The All-Star Game will be tomorrow night, at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Judge was elected as a starter, but isn't playing. Rice, who will be in tonight's stupid Home Run Derby, Bellinger and Schlittler were named as reserves.

In case anyone cares, the only Met on the National League team is Juan Soto, who was elected as a starter. As always, every team, no matter how bad, is entitled to at least 1 player on their League's team, although if that 1 player is injured, a replacement from the same team can be chosen. And, although it usually works out so that every player gets used, that is not required: Only that starting pitchers go at least 2 innings, and starting hitters at least 3, with exceptions, of course, for injury.

Yankees Take 2 of 3 From Resurgent White Sox

Two years ago, the Chicago White Sox lost 121 games, the most in American League history, and the most in Major League Baseball since 1899. Last season, they lost 102.

This past Tuesday night, they came into Yankee Stadium II with a record of 38-32, enough to lead the American League Central Division. The White Sox are no longer a joke. The Yankees had to take them seriously.

They did. Spencer Jones, Ben Rice, Paul Goldschmidt and José Caballero all hit home runs, in support of Gerrit Cole, who went 6 innings, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits and 2 walks, striking out 6. The Yankees won, 12-2.

Also of note: As they had done on the weekend at Fenway Park in Boston, where their national team are playing their World Cup Group Stage games, Scotland fans, "the Tartan Army," came in, wearing their full regalia, sat in the upper deck in left field, and cheered the Yankees on as if Yankee Stadium were Hampden Park in Glasgow.

On Wednesday night, World Champion Knicks Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart threw out ceremonial first balls. Carlos Rodón went 5 innings, allowing 3 runs on 7 hits and 1 walk, striking out 7. Goldschmidt homered again, giving him 383 for his career. In this series, he has passed Albert Belle and the still-active Manny Machado, who each have 381; and Frank Howard, Jim Rice and Ryan Howard, who each have 382; and tied Larry Walker. Next up: Harold Baines with 384. At 385 are Dwight Evans and the still-active... but injured Aaron Judge. Cody Bellinger and Jazz Chisholm also homered for the Yankees, who won, 10-5.

Yesterday afternoon saw the Yankees' best start of the series, by Ryan Weathers: 6 1/3rd innings, 1 run, 3 hits, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts. But he left with the score just 1-1, as Ryan McMahon had hit a home run. In the top of the 8th inning, the bullpen blew it. Fernando Cruz started by allowing a double. Aaron Boone brought Tim Hill in, and he hit the 1st 2 batters he faced. He got a strikeout, but, having faced the minimum 3 batters, Boone didn't want to take any further chances, and brought in Camilo Doval. He completed the collective SNAFU, allowing a home run to former Yankee Andrew Benintendi. He got the last 2 outs, but it was too late.

Over the last 2 innings, the Yankees got only a single by Goldschmidt, with 1 out in the 9th. White Sox 5, Yankees 1.

Still, taking 2 out of 3 from a good team is good. The Yankees lead the AL Eastern Division by 3 games, 2 in the loss column, over the Tampa Bay Rays. At 45-28, they have the best record in the AL. The only teams in the NL with a better record are the Los Angeles Dodgers at 48-27, the Atlanta Braves at 46-27, and the Milwaukee Brewers at 45-27.

Tonight, they start a home Interleague series with the Cincinnati Reds.

Yankees Sweep Royals

Let's see, which analogy should I use for the series the Yankees just swept?

* The Yankees barbecued Kansas City.

* The Yankees crowned the Royals.

* The last time Royals got embarrassed this much, King Charles III stripped his brother Andrew of all his titles and privileges.

Anyway...

The Yankees played the Royals in Kansas City, at Kauffman Stadium, formerly known as Royals Stadium, site of 4 American League Championship Series between the teams when I was a kid, with the Yankees winning in 1976, '77 and '78, and the Royals winning in 1980. Since then, despite a close call in 1985, the teams have only met in the postseason once, with the Yankees winning in the 2024 AL Division Series.

On Monday night, Will Warren started, and allowed just 2 runs over 6 innings. But he didn't get the win, because it was tied 2-2 when he left. Cody Bellinger hit a home run. And in the bottom of the 8th, Bobby Witt Jr., the other guy contending with Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani for the title of "best player in baseball," hit a home run off Jake Bird, to make it 3-2 Royals.

I have yet to have a reasonable explanation for why Bird is pitching in the major leagues.

And when Bellinger grounded out to lead off the top of the 9th, it looked like this game was lost. But Paul Goldschmidt singled. Max Schuemann was sent in to pinch-run for him. Jazz Chisholm doubled, but even Schuemann wasn't fast enough to score on the play, and held at 3rd base. But the much-maligned Anthony Volpe singled both runs home. He was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double, but both runs had scored and were counted.

Tim Hill had been the last Yankee pitcher, so when David Bednar got the save, Hill was named the winning pitcher, even though he only faced 2 batters. Yankees 4, Royals 3.

*

Cam Schlittler took the mound on Tuesday night, and was brilliant. He went 6 innings, allowing only 1 run on 4 hits, no walks (I love saying that about a Yankee pitcher), and 6 strikeouts.

Unlike Warren, he got support, so there was absolutely no reason to leave him in longer than that. The Yankees scored 4 runs in the 1st inning, 1 in the 2nd, 4 in the 3rd, none in the 4th, and 1 in the 5th. That linescore, 41401? It's not in use as a ZIP Code, but if it were, it would be in Morgan County in very Appalachian eastern Kentucky -- the kind of place that says it hates its Republican Senators, but always seems to re-elect them.

The Royals' starting pitcher was Bailey Falter, and he did indeed falter, allowing 7 runs over 2 1/3rd innings. For the 1st time in their 124-season history, all 9 Yankee starting batters got at least 2 hits. The Yankees got 2 homers from Amed Rosario, and 1 each from Bellinger, Volpe, Chisholm and Trent Grisham. Rosario went 4-for-6 with 4 RBIs, Grisham went 3-for-7 with 2 RBIs, and Bellinger went 2-for-5 with 3 RBIs.

Ryan Yarbrough pitched shutout ball for the last 3 innings, getting in some good work, albeit with no pressure whatsoever. Yankees 15, Royals 1.

*

On Wednesday night, Gerrit Cole made his injury-delayed 2nd start of the season. He went 6 2/3rds innings, throwing 79 pitches, 59 of them for strikes. He allowed 4 hits and no walks, and struck out 10. Clearly, he's ready.

Goldschmidt led off the top of the 4th with a single, followed by a triple by Ben Rice and a sacrifice fly by Judge. The Yankees broke it open in the 7th, with 3 singles and a walk, 1 of them with the bases loaded, extending their lead to 5-0. A Grisham walk and a Ryan McMahon home run in the 8th extended the lead. Fernando Cruz and Camilo Doval completed the 4-hit shutout. Yankees 7, Royals 0.

Three games, three wins, aggregate score of 26-4.

*

We are now more than one-third of the way through the regular season. The Yankees are 34-22, on a pace to go 98-64. However, we're a game and a half behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL Eastern division, 3 games back in the all-important loss column. At this point, no other team in the Division is close.

If the Yankees can just do well until Giancarlo Stanton comes back from injury, the attack will be fine. 

Title 28 will look more possible. At last check, he was cleared to start running, Jasson Domínguez may start taking live batting practice next week, Clarke Schmidt is throwing bullpen sessions, and Max Fried is "playing catch."

They continue their roadtrip tonight, in West Sacramento against the Athletics. A recent report shows that their Las Vegas ballpark is coming along well, and should open on time in April 2028.

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.

Yanks Swept In Milwaukee

One worthwhile criticism of this year's Yankees is that they haven't done well against teams over .500.

Of course, one good reason why those teams they have beaten are under .500 is that they've played the Yankees.

The Yankees played the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field (formerly Miller Park) this weekend. The Brewers have won the last 3 National League Central Division titles, and made the Playoffs in 7 of the last 8 seasons. They are a Playoff contender again.

While there were hopeful signs for the Yankees, it was a bad series. On Friday night, highly-touted prospect Spencer Jones, an outfielder who bats and throws lefthanded, about to turn 25 and from the San Diego area, made his major league debut. Wearing Number 78, he started as the designated hitter, and went 0-for-2 with a walk.

Max Fried and the Brewers' Jacob Misiorowski both pitched 6 innings. Fried was roughed up for 5 runs. "The Miz," still only 24 years old, allowed 2 hits and 2 walks, and struck out 11. Shane Drohan finished the 3rd-hit shutout. The Yankees never even got a runner to 3rd base. Brewers 6, Yankees 0.

On Saturday, Cam Schlittler pitched 6 shutout innings, and Paul Goldschmidt went 3-for-5 with 2 RBIs, including his 375th career home run, allowing him to pass Rocky Colavito on the all-time list, and tie the still-active Manny Machado. But the rest of the Yankees combined only got 4 hits, and the game went to extra innings.

In the top of the 10th, with Max Schuemann as the "ghost runner," Ben Rice, returning from a brief injury, struck out. Aaron Judge was walked intentionally to set up the double play. Cody Bellinger flew out. Ryan McMahon singled Schuemann home, but Judge was thrown out at 3rd base. Unwritten Rule of Baseball, or, perhaps, Cliché Alert: Never make the 1st or 3rd out of the inning at 3rd base. 

In the bottom of the 10th, neither Fernando Cruz nor Tim Hill could hold the Brewers: Walk, flyout, single, fielder's choice, sacrifice fly. Brewers 4, Yankees 2.

Yesterday, Carlos Rodón came off the Injured List, and made his 1st start of the season. (We're still waiting on Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt.) He could have used another minor-league rehab start as a warmup: He only went 4 1/3rd innings, allowing 3 runs on 2 hits and 5 walks, striking out 4.

In the 1st inning, Aaron Judge hit his 384th career home run, passing Larry Walker on the all-time list, and tying Harold Baines. In the 2nd, José Caballero, and was singled home for Jones' 1st major league hit, and his 1st major league RBI. It was 2-0 Yankees.

But Rodón got into trouble in the 4th, and the Brewers took a 3-2 lead. Rodón was shaky again in the 5th, and Aaron Boone brought Jake Bird in to bail him out. In the 6th, Judge and Bellinger drew walks, but Judge was caught stealing. Jazz Chisholm doubled Bellinger home, tying the score, but had Judge still been on base, he would have scored, too. This turned out to be a rare mistake by Judge, and a big one.

The Yankee bullpen held the Brewers off until the bottom of the 9th. David Bednar came in, and struck Joey Ortiz out, and struck Jackson Chourio out. But he gave up a home run to Brice Turang. Hell, Aroldis Chapman, Luke Weaver, Clay Holmes or Devin Williams could have done that. Anyway, Brewers 4, Yankees 3, and the Yankees were swept.

We are one-quarter of the way into the regular season. The Yankees are 26-15, a pace to go 103-59. But we're a game, 2 in (Cliché Alert) the All-Important Loss Column, behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Eastern Division.

It could be worse: The Mets still have the highest payroll and the worst record in Major League Baseball.

Tonight, the Yankees begin a series away to the Baltimore Orioles.

*

A Fenway Sweep, Yankees On a 6-Game Streak

The fear: The Yankees would go into their 1st Fenway Park series of the season having scored too many runs in the series right before it that they wouldn't score enough in the little green pinball machine in the Back Bay, and the Red Sox would capitalize on this.

The reality: The Yankees' pitching dominated The Scum, and we got just enough runs.

On Tuesday night, Luis Gil shook off his 1st 2 poor starts of the season coming off the Injured List, and took a 2-hit shutout into the 7th inning. Brent Hendrick finished the 7th, Tim Hill pitched the 8th, and David Bednar pitched the 9th. It shouldn't take 4 men to pitch a 4-hit shutout, not even in Boston. But I'll take it.

I'll also take a 4-0 win, with Giancarlo Stanton hitting a tremendous solo home run in the 2nd inning, and a double off the wall for 2 more in the 6th.

On Wednesday night, Amed Rosario hit a home run to get the Yankees out to a 3-0 lead before the Sox could even come to bat. He drove in another run with a sacrifice fly in the 3rd inning. Max Fried pitched 8 innings of 3-hit shutout ball. Hendrick allowed a run in the 9th. Yankees 4, Red Sox 1.

Of course, the New York media wasn't talking about the Yankees shutting their arch-rivals down in their little Back Bay bandbox. They were talking first about the Mets having a 12-game losing streak, their worst in 24 years; then, on this night, breaking it by beating the Minnesota Twins at Citi Field.

Last night, Sox starter Payton Tolle struck out the 1st 5 Yankee batters. Not a good sign. And the Sox took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the 2nd. It turned out to be a sign of nothing: Jazz Chisholm led off the top of the 5th with his 1st home run of the season. The Sox took the lead back in the bottom of the 5th, but in the 7th, the Yankees got singles from Trent Grisham, Chisholm, José Caballero, Cody Bellinger and Aaron Judge -- his only RBI of the series, surprisingly -- to tak a 4-2 lead.

Cam Schlittler, a native of Weymouth, Massachusetts and a graduate of Boston University, showed where his loyalties lie by pitching 8 innings, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits and 1 walk, striking out 5. Bednar pitched a perfect 9th. Yankees 4, Red Sox 2.

A sweep of The Scum at Fenway, and a 6-game winning streak. The Yankees lead the American League Eastern Division by 2 1/2 games over the Tampa Bay Rays, 4 over the Baltimore Orioles, 5 1/2 over the Toronto Blue Jays, and 7 over the Sox.

On to Houston, to play the Astros, the Chicken Fried Cheats, the Red Sox South. Bring 'em on. We'll muss 'em up. We'll show those idiot Met fans what "a little league park" really looks like.

Well, maybe not. We only scored 12 runs in 3 games at Fenway. But it was enough.

Maybe Everything That Dies Someday Comes Back

I was all set to write the season-ender posts. Not just the recap of the game on which the Yankees, were eliminated from the American League Division Series by those pesky Toronto Blue Jays, but also the "You Can't Blame" posts.

You know. The Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame Aaron Judge for the Yankees Losing. The Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame Aaron Boone for the Yankees Losing. The Top 5 Reasons Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Is a Fat Pig. (Reason Number 1: His real hero isn't his father, it's David Ortiz.) The annual "These guys were a bunch of gutless wonders" post. The annual "Brian Cashman has got to go" post.

It was all going to happen, and it was all going to be necessary.

Because Carlos Rodón had nothing last night. Guerrero hit another no-doubt-about-er off him in the 1st inning, putting him in a 2-0 hole. The Yankees pulled a run back in the bottom of the 1st, but a double, an intentional walk to Guerrero, a lineout, and 3 straight singles meant a 6-1 Toronto lead. This thing was headed for another blowout, to forge an ugly elimination game.

Then the Yankees did something that I didn't expect, something few people expected: They came from behind to win. They scored 2 in the bottom of the 3rd, on an Aaron Judge double and a Giancarlo Stanton sacrifice fly.

In the 4th, Austin Wells reached on an error, Trent Grisham drew a walk, and Judge hit one down the left-field line. Some of us thought of Carlton Fisk's World Series homer, 50 years to the month earlier (I sure did), and some of us may even have copied him by waving our arms to keep it fair (I didn't). As with Fisk's homer, it hit the foul pole. Unlike Fisk's homer, which broke a 6-6 tie to win the game, this one made a 6-6 tie.

Jazz Chisholm put the Yankees on top in the 5th, with a homer deep into the right-center Bleachers. This was followed by an Amed Rosario double and a Wells single. Ben Rice hit a sacrifice fly in the 6th, to make it 9-6.

The bullpen made that hold up: Over the last 6 2/3rds innings, Fernando Cruz, Camilo Doval, Tim Hill (credited as the winning pitcher), Devin Williams and David Bednar allowed no runs on 3 hits and no walks. Williams, arguably the most damaging Yankee player of the season, actually got Vlad to fly out. If he can't get a hit off Devin Williams, how great can he be? And Bednar got Vlad to ground to 3rd for the last out.

From the 1st to the 5th inning, the Yankees' scoreline was 10232. That ZIP Code is not in use, but if it were, it would be in Manhattan.

Last night, the Blue Jays came in as birds of prey. They left as clay pigeons. Or, to put it another way, to paraphrase Yankee Fan Bruce Springsteen: They blew up the chicken men in The Bronx last night.

Tonight, at 7:00, weather permitting, Game 4 will be played at Yankee Stadium II. Cam Schlittler will start against Louis Varland. Varland has appeared in 77 games this season, making exactly 1 start. It looks like the Jays are going with a "bullpen game." Hopefully, we can get to them early and often.  Hopefully, they can do it again tonight, and then go back over the border, get a good Game 5 from Max Fried, and not only blow up the chicken men in Toronto that night, but blow up their house, too.

Metaphorically speaking, of course, although that is one ugly stadium that the Jays play in.

As Bruce said: "Everything dies, baby, that's a fact. But maybe everything that dies someday comes back."

Another Boone Blunder Dooms Yanks vs. Jays

Just when you thought it was safe to trust Aaron Boone with pitching decisions...

Game 1 of the American League Division Series was played yesterday, at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, against those pesky Toronto Blue Jays. Despite a lot of big AL Eastern Division games over the last 40 years, this was the 1st Playoff game between the 2 teams.

Boone started Luis Gil, who is a good pitcher. He allowed a home run to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the 1st inning. He allowed a home run to Alejandro Kirk in the 2nd inning. It was 2-0 Jays in the bottom of the 3rd. Gil got the 1st 2 outs. Then Vlad came up again, and hit a single off Gil.

Gil had thrown 75 pitches. There were 2 outs in the inning. He was not injured. There was absolutely no reason to take him out at that point. There was a good reason to keep him in: Fewer pitches thrown by Yankee relievers.

Boone took Gil out. He replaced Gil with Tim Hill. Hill got out of the inning. But those of us who watch the Yankees already knew full well that there was no way in hell that Boone was going to get away with doing something so damned stupid.

Hill pitched a perfect 4th. Camilo Doval pitched a perfect 5th. It was still only 2-0 Toronto. In the top of the 6th, batting against Kevin Gausman -- who, in Toronto and before that in Baltimore, has given the Yankees trouble -- the Yankees loaded the bases with nobody out. Here was the chance to redeem Boone's stupid move.

But Aaron Judge struck out. Cody Bellinger drew a walk to force home a run. But Ben Rice popped up, and Giancarlo Stanton struck out. For the 2nd time in 4 games, the Yankees had a bases-loaded-nobody-out situation and failed to take sufficient advantage.

Still, a 2-1 deficit, with 3 innings to go, and with the Yankees' lineup, shouldn't have been too much to overcome. Especially when Doval pitched a perfect 6th.

Ryan McMahon singled with 1 out in the 7th, but the Yankees couldn't bring him home. And then Boone made another stupid decision. Not bringing in a new reliever: Doval was probably done, anyway. No, it was making Luke Weaver that reliever. Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you, especially the leadoff variety. Weaver gave up walk, single, RBI single.

That was the minimum 3 batters. Boone took him out, and replaced him with Fernando Cruz. Here's what he allowed: Sacrifice bunt, walk, 2-RBI double, sacrifice fly. Now, it was 6-1.

Judge doubled with 1 out in the 8th. The Yankees couldn't get him home. Paul Blackburn pitched the 8th. No reason to bring in somebody to relieve him: This game is already lost, so don't waste any additional pitchers and compromise their availability for Game 2. Blackburn gave up 4 runs on 6 hits, including Kirk's 2nd homer of the game. The Yankees went down meekly in the 9th. Blue Jays 10, Yankees 1.

Just 2 days after their most satisfying win of the season, the Yankees had their dumbest loss of the season. If Boone had left Gil in, the Yankees still would have lost, given their inability to get runs home, but it probably wouldn't have been as bad as 10-1.

I was in full "Fire him before they even leave the building" mode.

Elsewhere in Division Series Game 1 action yesterday: Detroit Tigers 3, Seattle Mariners 2 in 11 innings; Los Angeles Dodgers 5, Philadelphia Phillies 3; and Milwaukee Brewers 9, Chicago Cubs 3.

Game 2 is this afternoon. Max Fried, the ace due to Gerrit Cole's season-long injury, starts against Trey Yesavage, a 22-year-old righthander from Boyertown, Pennsylvania, making his 4th major league appearance and start.

A pitcher the Yankees have never seen before? In a game broadcast on Fox? Oh, Lord, take me now.

Maybe it won't be so bad, because it'll be on FS1, not main Fox. Maybe the Yankees will hit. Maybe Boone will make good pitching decisions.

Maybe I'll flap my arms and fly to the Moon.

From Here On Out, It's Strictly Meat and Potatoes

With a very tough schedule coming up this week, the Yankees needed to win as many of last week's games as they could: 3 at home against the Washington Nationals, 4 away to the Chicago White Sox, both of them struggling teams. They swept the Nats series. So far, so good. Counting the win in the finale of the awful series against the Boston Red Sox, that was 4 straight wins.

Will Warren started for the Yankees on Thursday night. In the bottom of the 2nd inning, Anthony Volpe made an error, which led to a grand slam by Miguel Vargas. But that would be the only runs the Yankees would allow: His other 4 innings were solid, and the bullpen was perfect over the last 4 innings: Fernando Cruz, Luke Weaver, Devin Williams and Mark Leiter Jr. each went 1-2-3 for an inning.

Cody Bellinger hit his 26th home run of the season. So did Jazz Chisholm. Trent Grisham already had 26 home runs, and hit his 27th. Yankees 10, White Sox 4. So, 5 in a row.

Carlos Rodón started on Friday night, and was terrific, allowing 1 run in 6 innings. Tim Hill faltered in the 8th, but it didn't matter, because the Yankees unloaded the lumber again. Grisham hit his 28th homer, and the much-maligned Volpe hit his 19th. Yankees 10, White Sox 2. So, 6 in a row.

The Saturday night game would be tougher, as the Yankees seemed to have used up most of their runs for the series.

Cam Schlittler started, and he was fantastic: 6 innings, 1 run, 4 hits, 1 walk, and 8 strikeouts. Aaron Judge hit his 42nd homer, and Aaron Wells hit his 19th. Devin Williams blew the save in the 7th, damaging his reputation as a reliever who's great in any inning except the 9th. Weaver was fine in the 8th, and David Bednar also was in the 9th and the 10th.

Have I ever mentioned that I hate the ghost runner rule? It didn't help the Yankees in the top of the 10th, as Ryan McMahon's grounder led to Wells being tagged out at home plate. In the top of the 11th, a Bellinger single, and doubles by Chisholm and Volpe brought 3 runs home. Camilo Doval allowed a run in the bottom of the 11th, but just the 1, giving him the save and Bednar the win. Yankees 5, White Sox 3. That's 7 in a row. And they closed to within 2 games of the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Eastern Division. What had seemed lost for good was now back within reach.

If Saturday night didn't show that the Yankees needed to reload the runs, Sunday afternoon sure did. The Yankees only got 6 hits. Judge had 3 of them, including his 43rd home run of the season, the 358th of his career. It tied Yogi Berra for 5th on the Yankees' all-time list. Joe DiMaggio is 4th with 361. In between them, Johnny Mize, who ended his career with the Yankees after several years with the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Giants, had 359.

But a solid start by Luis Gil was wasted, and Tim Hill gave up a home run to Lenyn Sosa in the bottom of the 8th. The Yankees lost, 3-2.

*

So, after taking 6 out of 7 last week, here is where the Yankees stand on September 1, Labor Day:

* The Yankees are 76-61, on a pace to go 90-72. That's usually enough to make the Playoffs, but not enough to win the Division.

* They are 3 games behind Toronto in the AL East. The Jays lost today, while the Yankees were idle, taking a half-game off the deficit.

* If the current standings hold to the end of the season, they will have the 4th seed in the AL Playoffs, and have home-field advantage over Boston.

They have tonight off. Here's the remaining schedule, 25 games:

* September 2, 3 and 4: Away to the Houston Astros, again a possible Playoff opponent.

* September 5, 6 and 7: Home to the Toronto Blue Jays, the team they're chasing for the Division, and, obviously, also a possible Playoff opponent.

* September 9, 10 and 11: Home to the Detroit Tigers, leaders in the AL Central Division, and, obviously, also a possible Playoff opponent.

* September 12, 13 and 14: Away to the Boston Red Sox. As already said, a possible Playoff opponent.

So the next 12 games, and especially the next 6, look to be very tough. It eases up from there:

* September 15, 16 and 17: Away to the Minnesota Twins.

* September 18, 19, 20 and 21: Away to the Baltimore Orioles.

* September 22, a well-earned day off. Then, a final homestand, and perhaps home-field advantage will help:

* September 23, 24 and 25: Home to the Chicago White Sox.

* September 26, 27 and 28: Home to the Orioles.

Since September has arrived, the Yankees have made their first September callups. Not surprisingly, they are a 3rd catcher, J.C. Escarra; and a relief pitcher, Ryan Yarbrough.

As for the injuries: We already knew that Gerrit Cole would not pitch at all this season, and that Clarke Schmidt was out for the season. Both had Tommy John surgery, and while Cole is on schedule to return for next year's Opening Day, Schmidt will probably be out until at least next year's All-Star Break.

Now, we know that Jonathan Loáisiga will be as well. He was a good reliever from 2018 to 2023, but injuries have left him unavailable, and ineffective when he was available. Oswaldo Cabrera might return this season, but it doesn't look likely.

For the most part, this is the healthiest the Yankees have been all year, and it couldn't come at a better time. Because, as the late, great college football announcer Keith Jackson would have said, The social portion of the schedule is over, and, from here on out, it's strictly meat and potatoes.

Yankees Hot In Boardroom, Heating Up On Field

Late update: About 3 hours after I posted this, the Yankees released pitcher Marcus Stroman, to make room on the roster for Luis Gil, set to come back from injury and make his 1st start of the season, this Sunday in Miami.

*

Good or bad, the Tampa Bay Rays usually give the Yankees trouble. Coming off a bad series against the Toronto Blue Jays, the Yankees needed to be better.

They also needed to be active as the trading deadline approached. They were. This time, general manager Brian Cashman cannot be accused of neglecting his duty. How well he did it will be determined over the next 3 months, but, clearly, he did try:

* July 25: Sent pitchers Griffin Herring and Josh Grosz to the Colorado Rockies for 3rd baseman Ryan McMahon. He gave up nothing of foreseeable value, and got a good-fielding hot corner man, with a low batting average but some power. This fills a huge need, position-wise.

* July 26: Sent pitchers Clayton Beeter and outfield prospect Browm Martinez to the Washington Nationals for infielder Amed Rosario. As far as I can tell, those spellings are correct. This seems like a very little for very little trade, so let's move on:

* July 28: Sent pitcher Carlos Carrasco to the Atlanta Braves for a player to be named later. No problem: Carrasco did little for us, so if the PTBNL does anything for us, it's an plus.

* July 28: Sent pitcher Gage Ziehl to the Chicago White Sox for outfielder Austin Slater. Not much worth discussing here.

Then, on Wednesday, July 30: Cashman made 5 trades:

* Sent catchers Rafael Flores and Edgleen Perez, and outfielder Brian Sanchez, to the Pittsburgh Pirates for pitcher David Bednar. Flores is 24 and was batting .211 in Class AAA, Perez is 19 and batting .209 in Class A, and Sanchez is 21 and batting .281 in Class A, so the Yankees look like they didn't give up much.

What they got is a righthanded reliever who turns 31 in October, was tied for the National League lead with 39 saves in 2023, and, this season, is 2-5 with 17 saves for a 47-62 team, a 2.37 ERA, and a 1.105 WHIP. He's a Pittsburgh native, so he was doing this for his hometown team. He could be the closer we've been looking for, as neither Devin Williams nor Luke Weaver have looked like it.

* Traded catcher Jesús Rodríguez, infielder Parks Harbor, and pitchers Trystan Vrieling and Carlos De La Rosa to the San Francisco Giants for pitcher Camilo Doval. Doval, a Dominican, has an ERA that is a little high, but his WHIP is low, he had 15 saves for a decent Giants team, and was the other guy with whom Bednar was tied for the 2023 NL saves lead with 39. So: Give up 7 guys who aren't making the major leagues anytime soon, get 2 guys with 32 saves before August. Sounds good.

* Sent infielder Roc Riggio and pitcher Ben Shields to the Colorado Rockies for Jake Bird. Not much for not much.

* Sent infielder Oswald Peraza to the Los Angeles Angels for outfielder Wilberson De Pena and "international pool money." Peraza didn't do much for the Yankees. De Pena is 18 and batting .227 in the Rookie League. The international pool money will be more valuable.

* Sent outfielder Everson Pereira and a player to be named later to the Tampa Bay Rays for infielder José Caballero. Pereira is 24, and has played just 23 games in the major leagues, all with the Yankees in 2023. An injury set the Venezuelan back last season. With Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he's batting .254 with 19 home runs and 52 RBIs, so it looks like he's recovered, but the Yankees did not see fit to call him up this season or last. Looks like another of Cashman's precious prospects that didn't pan out.

Cabellero is about to turn 29, a utility infielder from Panama, and was leading the AL in stolen bases for the 2nd season in a row. TV cameras caught him hugging his Rays teammates in the dugout, as he was traded in mid-game on Wednesday.

*

As for the games. Cam Schlittler started on Monday night, and didn't get out of the 5th inning. Both teams scored 2 runs in the 1st inning, but the Yankees couldn't get anything together after that, and lost, 4-2.

Max Fried started on Tuesday, against Joe Boyle, which led to some "boiled or fried" jokes. Fried was not at his best, but he did pitch into the 7th inning, to give the bullpen something of a break. Cody Bellinger and Anthony Volpe hit home runs, and the Yankees won, 7-5.

The Wednesday night game is one for the YES Network's Yankees Classics. Will Warren allowed just 1 run over the 1st 6 innings. But the Yankees trailed, 1-0, going to the bottom of the 8th. Trent Grisham led off with a home run to tie the game. This was followed by 3 straight singles, by Ben Rice, Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton, and the Yankees led, 2-1.

But Williams couldn't hold it in the 9th. Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you, especially the leadoff variety. Williams walked Junior Caminero, and served up a home run to Josh Lowe. It was 3-2 Tampa Bay. But with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th, Volpe hit another homer to send the game to extra innings.

The (Cliché Alert) stupid ghost runner rule came into play, and it did Weaver no favors, as he led a run score in the top of the 10th. But the ghost runner taketh away, and the ghost runner giveth: With 1 out in the bottom of the 10th, Bellinger hit a triple that scored Grisham, and the game was tied again.

Tim Hill held the Rays off in the top of the 11th. With Jazz Chisholm at 2nd base as the ghost runner, and Kevin Kelly trying to close it out for the Rays, Jasson Domínguez was walked to set up a double play. McMahon was in position to become a Yankee hero for the 1st time. He did, singling Domínguez home. Yankees 5, Rays 4.

In that game, according to OptaSTATS, the Yankees became the only MLB team in the modern era -- not specifying when that era began, 1900, 1920, 1947, 1969, 1995, whatever -- to erase a deficit in the 8th, do that again in the 9th, do that again in the 10th, and then win in the 11th. Of course, the ghost runner rule had something to do with that, and it's hardly out of the realm of possibility for such an occurrence to happen again soon.

This led to an afternoon "getaway day" game for the series finale. Marcus Stroman went 5 innings, and allowed 4 runs, all in the 4th. But, like Fried on Tuesday night, he got plenty of support. The Yankees scored 3 runs in the 1st inning, 3 in the 2nd, 1 in the 3rd, none in the 4th and none in the 5th. That 33100 scoreline is not a ZIP Code in active use, but if it were, it would be in Miami.

Stanton and Rice hit home runs, and the Yankees won, 7-4. So they took the last 3 games of the 4-game series, and did it without Aaron Judge, Luis Gil, Gerrit Cole, Clarke Schmidt, or a reliable closer. Judge and Gil are coming back soon, Cole and Schmidt are not. As for a reliable closer, well, as I said, Cashman did try, and we shall see.

*

So, as we enter August, the Yankees are 60-49, on a pace to go 89-73. Not good enough. They are 3 1/2 games, 3 in the all-important loss column, behind the Blue Jays in the American League Eastern Division, with the hated Boston Red Sox just 5 games behind. If the current standings hold until the end of the season, the Yankees would have the 4th seed in the AL Playoffs.

Tonight, they begin a roadtrip: 3 games in Miami against the Marlins, and 3 in the Dallas suburbs against the Texas Rangers. Then they come home for a stand against Houston and Minnesota. The trading deadline, like the weather has been, was hot. The Yankees were hot in the boardroom, and may be heating up on the field.