The Yankees' bullpen allowed nine runs in the seventh inning as New York fell to the Tigers, 12-2, on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium.
The combination of Fernando Cruz and Mark Leiter Jr. gave up the nine runs on four hits and four walks in an inning that saw every Tigers hitter score.
The Yankees (80-64) remain two games behind Toronto for first place in the AL East.
Here are the takeaways…
–Aaron Judge got the Yankees' scoring started with a solo shot in the first. It's Judge's 359th blast of his career, passing Yogi Berra for fifth in Yankees franchise history.
Cody Bellinger joined Judge in the home run party, launching his own solo shot in the fourth to put the Yankees up 2-0.
–Will Warren was cruising against Detroit early on, allowing just one baserunner across the first four innings, retiring 11 straight batters at one point. But a leadoff walk in the fifth and a two-run shot to Parker Meadows knotted the game at 2-2.
Warren finished strong, getting through six innings (91 pitches/59 strikes), allowing just the two runs on two hits and one walk while striking out five batters.
Unfortunately for the Yankees, the bullpen imploded. Cruz allowed two runs on two hits and three walks and did not record an out. He was pulled with the bases loaded and no outs before Aaron Boone brought in Leiter Jr. The right-hander got a shallow fly ball from Trey Sweeney, but it dropped just out of the reach of Anthony Volpe's glove, which pushed the Tigers' lead to 5-2. A hit-by-pitch, walk, wild pitch and a triple spelled the end of Leiter's night as he was pulled without getting an out.
Tim Hill came in and mercifully got through the seventh, allowing just one hit, but the score, 2-2 entering the inning, ballooned to 11-2. Here's how the bullpen fared in that seventh inning:
- Cruz: 0.0 IP, 2 H, 5 ER, 3 BB
- Leiter Jr.: 0.0 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 1 WP
- Hill: 1.0, 1 H, 1 BB
According to Katie Sharp, this is the first time in Yankees history that two relievers allowed four-plus runs without recording an out in a game.
Paul Blackburn saved the bullpen by pitching the final two innings, allowing two hits, one walk and one unearned run while striking out three batters.
-Volpe's rough stretch continued on Tuesday. After striking out looking in his first at-bat, Volpe came up with runners on first and second and no out in the fifth. He tried to get the bunt down, but eventually popped out to third base in foul territory. Volpe was booed by the crowd as he walked back to the dugout. Ryan McMahon struck out and Trent Grisham popped out on a 3-0 count to end the threat. It would be the last inning the Yankees had a chance to score any runs. The Yankees had just four hits and no walks while striking out 12 times.
Volpe finished 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.
–Gleyber Torres returned to the Bronx for the first time since signing with the Tigers in the offseason. He received a nice ovation from the Yankee Stadium crowd in his first at-bat, and the second baseman acknowledged the fans with a hat tip. Torres would hit a ground-rule double in his first AB. He also received a tribute video from the team, showcasing his accomplishments in pinstripes.
Torres finished 1-for-3 with two walks, an RBI and a run scored.
Game MVP: Parker Meadows
Meadows' two-run shot tied the game and was a part of that seventh-inning bludgeoning. He finished 3-for-5 with three RBI
Highlights
Aaron Judge is 5th on the Yankees' all-time home run list, passing Yogi Berra! 👏 pic.twitter.com/ZfmoeIy1Ra
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 9, 2025
Trent Grisham makes the leaping catch at the wall! 💪 pic.twitter.com/i2vNOno2p7
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 9, 2025
CODY BELLINGER VISITS THE SECOND DECK pic.twitter.com/DTOpmzg1Qy
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 10, 2025
What's next
The Yankees and Tigers play the middle game of their three-game set on Wednesday evening. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.
Carlos Rodon (16-7, 3.12 ERA) will take the mound against Jack Flaherty (7-13, 4.85 ERA).
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