The Yankees came within inches of their best comeback of the season.
With the bases loaded and the Bombers trailing by four in the bottom of the eighth, Aaron Boone called on Giancarlo Stanton to pinch-hit for Trent Grisham.
Stanton launched a shot to dead center field and it hit off the very top of the wall clearing the bases to make it 6-5. Alex Verdugo grounded out the next at-bat and Austin Wells struck out as the final out in the ninth with the winning run on first in the Yankees 6-5 loss to the Cardinals.
The Yanks have yet to have a signature comeback this season and Saturday afternoon appeared to be their best opportunity.
The Bombers were in a hole to begin with due to Will Warren’s struggles continuing in the start to his major league career. The 25-year-old entered the afternoon matchup with the Cardinals sporting a 9.68 ERA in four major league starts and it didn’t get much better from there.
The right-hander allowed four runs on five hits in four innings of work while striking out three. The big blow came off the bat of Brendan Donovan who placed a three-run first-row homer into the short porch to give St. Louis a 4-1 lead.
Warren’s counterpart silenced the Yankee bats making the prospect of a comeback look bleak.
Kyle Gibson dominated the Bombers’ lineup as the veteran tossed seven innings allowing one run on five hits and striking out six. Anthony Volpe provided the only run off of Gibson as he singled in Wells in the bottom of the second.
Tim Hill replaced Warren in the fifth and tossed a scoreless frame, however, one of the Yankees’ deadline acquisitions still has yet to find his footing in the Bronx. Mark Leiter Jr. surrendered another two runs — one earned — as his season ERA jumped to 4.71.
The Bombers bullpen remains arguably their biggest question mark entering October and Leiter Jr. is making it difficult to use him in high-leverage situations.
Saturday afternoon’s win was the Cardinals’ first in the Bronx since Game 7 of the 1964 World Series.
Oliver Marmol will turn to Miles Mikolas on Sunday afternoon to try and take the series from the Yankees. Boone will send out Nestor Cortes in the rubber match,