Daily Report – 6/26/26
Yankees
The Connelly Early revenge game was long overdue. The Red Sox southpaw struck out nine Yankees batters in his second start against them since Cam Schlittler’s 12-strikeout Wild Card Series domination last year.
But last night’s loss felt more like Boston sought revenge against Schlittler. The Red Sox beat the Yankees 6-3.
Since last year’s third Wild Card game, here are the standings:
Schlittler: 3
Red Sox: 1
But Schlittler also recorded nine strikeouts yesterday, and all four runs he allowed were unearned. In fact, since they committed four errors, the Yankees allowed six unearned runs and zero earned runs for the first time since 1913.
Come on, Yankees fans. The city of Boston needed this, especially after Scottish soccer fans drank the city fresh out of beer last week, the Celtics hit rock bottom when Milwaukee refused Jaylen Brown in the runner-up trade proposal for Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Aroldis Chapman blew a save of epic proportions in Colorado.
Did the Yankees have to embarrass themselves with four errors, though? Especially against a team that had flown in from Colorado at 5 AM. That kind of behavior is expected from a tired, fifth-place team, not the first-place Yankees.
But the Yankees’ shorthanded roster has forced players out of position. Utilityman José Caballero, best at shortstop, was stuck in left field because the Yankees are without Trent Grisham and Aaron Judge. Also, Amed Rosario had to handle third base because Ryan McMahon is out with a throat infection.
Austin Wells committed the Yankees’ second catcher interference penalty since Monday, and Cam Schlittler and Yerry De los Santos both made errors on the mound. Rosario, Wells, Schlittler, and De los Santos were each tagged for miscues in the box score, but the Yankees made plenty of other blunders, too.
“We just didn’t do a good job of taking care of the ball tonight,” said manager Aaron Boone. “It’s just not up to the way we’ve been playing, or are capable of playing. Ultimately, it was too much to overcome.”
In the fifth inning, with the Yankees ahead 2-0, Boston scored four unearned runs because of a costly fielding error by Rosario on a 112.8 mph ground ball that squeaked through his legs. But on the next play, Caballero botched a throw home from left field, helping Boston tie the score with a sacrifice fly. Caballero threw the ball in time, but several feet away from home plate.
With the score tied 2-2, former Yankees prospect Caleb Durbin worked a six-pitch at-bat and hammered a center-cut cutter off the top of the Green Monster for a two-run home run. Durbin was one of two Red Sox players to record multiple hits, but his first came on a pop-up into no-man’s land between Wells and Schlittler.
“At the end of the day, I was giving them opportunities,” Schlittler said. “I felt like I battled those first four [innings], getting myself out of jams, and then I ended up making that mistake in the fifth.”
The damage started in the first inning when a groundout by Wilyer Abreu was overturned due to catcher interference. The Yankees escaped the frame, but they didn’t fix their mistakes. Following Boston’s four-run fifth inning, the Yankees cut their two-run deficit in half in the top of the seventh, but they couldn’t hold that score.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Red Sox loaded the bases on a fielding error by De los Santos. After forcing a pop-up, De los Santos left the bases loaded for Ryan Yarbrough, who fired a cutter off the threads of Nate Eaton’s jersey, plating another run. The next batter, Ceddanne Rafaela, beat out a double-play that Anthony Volpe turned wildly, giving Boston a 6-3 lead.
In the ninth inning, the Yankees pressured former teammate Aroldis Chapman, who recently claimed that the Yankees would have to apologize to him before he would ever consider returning. If you recall Chapman’s antics, including being kept off the 2022 postseason roster after missing a mandatory workout, you probably wouldn’t want him back, despite his post-pinstripes success.
“I love Chappy,” Boone recently stated. “I have a really good relationship with him to this day, but the ending of the 2022 season is what it was. He wasn’t there, and I made the decision that I didn’t think it was best for him to come back at that point.”
To which Chapman responded: “If I were told that I was being traded to New York, I’d pack my things and go home. I’ll retire right on the spot if that happens. I’m not crazy. Never again.”
The Yankees loaded the bases against Chapman in yesterday’s ninth inning, but Ben Rice grounded out to end the game. The left-handed slugger, who endured a phenomenal start to his season and ranks third in the American League with 22 home runs, is 13-for-64 (.203) in his last 15 games. Since the Yankees’ road trip started on Monday, he is 2-for-18 (.111).
Meanwhile, Paul Goldschmidt, Rice’s counterpart at first base, struck two more hits yesterday, raising his batting average to .301. In his last 15 games, the 38-year-old is 22-for-61 (.361) with six home runs and 13 RBI.
In other news, Trent Grisham has been deemed the closest player to returning from injury. He will rejoin the Yankees in roughly one week, before which he will likely embark on a rehab assignment. On June 13, he landed on the 10-day injured list with a hamstring strain.
Tonight, at 7:10 PM, RHP Will Warren (7-2, 3.45 ERA) will start against the lefty Payton Tolle (3-5, 3.08 ERA), who overpowered the Yankees on April 23 (YES, Gotham Sports). In his first start of the season, Tolle tallied 11 strikeouts across six innings.
Tomorrow, at 1:10 PM, RHP Gerrit Cole (2-2, 3.62 ERA) will try to bounce back from his last start as the Yankees square off against LHP Jake Bennett (1-3, 3.71 ERA) (ABC, ESPN App).
Then, on Sunday at 7:20 PM, LHP Carlos Rodón (4-2, 3.70 ERA) will toe the slab against former Yankees righty Sonny Gray (9-1, 2.95 ERA) (NBC, Peacock).
Schedule
Tonight 6/26:
7:10 PM: NYY at BOS; YES, Gotham Sports; SP: RHP Will Warren (7-2, 3.45 ERA) vs. LHP Payton Tolle (3-5, 3.08 ERA)
Saturday 6/27:
1:10 PM: NYY at BOS; ABC, ESPN App; SP: RHP Gerrit Cole (2-2, 3.62 ERA) vs. LHP Jake Bennett (1-3, 3.71 ERA)
Sunday 6/28:
7:20 PM: Sunday Night Baseball — NYY at BOS; NBC, Peacock; SP: LHP Carlos Rodón (4-2, 3.70 ERA) vs. RHP Sonny Gray (9-1, 2.95 ERA)
