The New York Yankees were on the verge of taking the lead from the Baltimore Orioles, but they couldn’t hold on to it.
In a chaotic ninth inning where each team’s closer allowed three runs, the Orioles took a one-game lead over New York in the AL East after Cedric Mullins hit a two-run double for a 6-5 victory on Sunday.
An error by shortstop Anthony Volpe with two outs kept Baltimore’s winning rally alive. Then left fielder Alex Verdugo mishandled Mullins’ line drive, turning it into the decisive hit.
“It’s a tough one to swallow,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “We’ve been struggling over the past few weeks.”
New York has now lost 18 of its last 26 games, while the Orioles had dropped five straight before winning the final game of this series. It was a fitting end to a series where both teams found it challenging to maintain a lead.
“I didn’t execute today and my teammates picked me up,” said Baltimore’s Craig Kimbrel, who blew his fifth save of the season.
Kimbrel had faced the Yankees twice earlier in the season, blowing saves in both instances but still getting the win.
Heading into the ninth with Baltimore leading 3-2, the key question was whether the Yankees could get Juan Soto and Aaron Judge to bat. They were slated to bat fourth and fifth.
However, Kimbrel walked two batters and then surrendered a three-run homer to Ben Rice. Suddenly, New York surged ahead 5-3 before Soto even had a chance to bat.
Although Kimbrel prevented further scoring, Baltimore loaded the bases with one out. Clay Holmes struck out Gunnar Henderson, but Adley Rutschman drew a walk. Then Ryan Mountcastle hit a grounder that should have ended the game, but Volpe’s error allowed it to become 5-4 with the bases still loaded.
Mullins followed with a line drive to left field. Verdugo initially moved in but couldn’t recover in time, allowing the ball to sail over his head and seal Baltimore’s dramatic comeback win.
