For the second night in a row, the Yankees’ attempt to clinch the American League East came up short.
The Yankees rallied late but were ultimately unable to dig themselves out of an early hole in their 9-7 loss to the Orioles in the Bronx on Wednesday night, delaying a champagne celebration for at least another day.
Aaron Judge’s three-run home run with one out in the ninth inning turned a 9-4 deficit into a two-run ballgame, but in the end, it wasn’t enough.
Not after a tone-setting first inning in which touted rookie Jasson Domínguez committed another costly defensive misplay.
Baltimore scored its first two runs against Yankees starter Marcus Stroman when, with the bases loaded and no outs, Domínguez outran a Colton Cowser fly ball that fell in for a single near the left-field line.
The unlikely hit had an expected batting average of .070, according to Statcast.
Cowser then stole second base and came home on Ryan Mountcastle’s one-out RBI single, capping the scoring in a three-run, six-hit first inning by Baltimore.
It was the second game in less than a week in which a Domínguez defensive miscue loomed large. In Thursday’s 3-2 loss in Seattle, the 21-year-old dropped a bases-loaded fly ball off the bat of Justin Turner during a three-run first inning by the Mariners. Domínguez also misjudged a ball in center field that fell in for a hit in last Wednesday’s 2-1 win in Seattle.
Recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this month, the power-hitting Domínguez began Wednesday with a -2 fielding run value, a Statcast metric used to demonstrate a player’s defensive performance. Domínguez is splitting time in left field with Alex Verdugo, who boasts an above-average fielding run value of +3.
Wednesday’s mistake contributed to a rough outing by Stroman, who allowed six runs on 10 hits over 3.1 innings. Baltimore finished with 17 hits against four Yankees pitchers.
Nestor Cortes was originally scheduled to start Wednesday, but in a surprise, the Yankees placed the left-hander on the 15-day injured list a few hours before the game with a left elbow flexor strain.
Stroman, whom the Yankees moved to the bullpen this month, found out on Tuesday night that he would get the start.
It was the first start in 16 days for Stroman, who made one relief appearance during that stretch. The Long Island native now owns a 4.31 ERA in his first season with the Yankees.
Orioles starter Zach Eflin, meanwhile, limited the Yankees to one run — Anthony Volpe’s second-inning RBI single — through the first four frames.
Baltimore led, 8-1, going into the bottom of the fifth, but Juan Soto got two runs back for the Yankees with his 41st home run of the season.
Still trailing 8-3, the Yankees loaded the bases with two outs in that inning, but Jazz Chisholm Jr. flew out on the first pitch he saw from reliever Jacob Webb to extinguish the threat.
The Yankees were down, 9-3, going into the ninth. Soto’s RBI single preceded Judge’s 57th home run of the season, but Austin Wells and Giancarlo Stanton both popped out to end the game.
The Yankees entered this week’s three-game series with a six-game lead over Baltimore in the division with six games left on the schedule. A win — or an Orioles loss — this week would wrap up the AL East for the Yankees.
But the Yankees’ losses the last two nights have kept the champagne on ice, now with four games to go. They dropped Tuesday night’s series opener, 5-3, after Gleyber Torres got caught in a rundown to end a seventh-inning rally with Aaron Judge on deck.
The Yankees clinched a playoff spot last week but, in addition to the division title, are still fighting for the best record in the AL and in the majors.
Their next attempt at the AL East crown comes Thursday night, when a pair of former Cy Young Award winners are set to duel in the series finale. Gerrit Cole (7-5, 3.67 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Yankees, while Corbin Burnes (15-8, 2.95 ERA) is set to pitch for Baltimore.