The New York Yankees were poised to reclaim first place from the Baltimore Orioles, only to watch their lead vanish in a dramatic ninth inning, resulting in a 6-5 defeat on Sunday. The loss allowed the Orioles to extend their lead to one game in the American League East.
In a turbulent final inning, both teams’ closers faltered, surrendering three runs each. With two outs and an error by shortstop Anthony Volpe, Baltimore’s Cedric Mullins hit a two-run double that sealed the Orioles’ victory. Left fielder Alex Verdugo misplayed Mullins’ line drive, converting it into the game-winning hit.
“That’s a killer, right? Let’s acknowledge that,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “It’s been a rough several weeks here for us.”
New York’s struggles continued with their 18th loss in the last 26 games. Despite winning the first two games of the series, they couldn’t complete the sweep. Baltimore, after dropping five straight, managed to turn the tables in dramatic fashion.
“I didn’t do my job today, and the guys had my back,” said Baltimore’s closer Craig Kimbrel, who recorded his fifth blown save of the season but still ended up with the win.
In the ninth inning, Kimbrel’s performance seemed to seal the Yankees’ victory after he walked two hitters and surrendered a three-run homer to Ben Rice, putting New York ahead 5-3.
Kimbrel prevented further scoring, and the Orioles rallied. With runners on first and second and one out, Clay Holmes struck out Gunnar Henderson, but Adley Rutschman drew a walk. Ryan Mountcastle’s grounder, which should have ended the game, was misplayed by Volpe, reducing the Yankees’ lead to 5-4 and leaving the bases loaded.
Mullins then hit a line drive to left. Verdugo initially moved in, then tried to recover but couldn’t prevent the ball from sailing over his head.
“That little step in was enough to beat me back,” Verdugo admitted. “I take a lot of pride out there defensively, and this one’s on me.”
It was the third walk-off hit of Mullins’ career. “I knew I hit it pretty good. As soon as I saw him take a step in, I figured he got a bad jump on it,” Mullins said. “I had a feeling he was burnt, and sure enough, he was burnt — over his head.”
The Yankees now face the challenge of regaining momentum as they head into the next stretch of the season, with the memory of this heartbreaking loss fresh in their minds.
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