In a gut-wrenching finish at Yankee Stadium, the New York Yankees fell 4-1 to the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday, squandering a chance to sweep their longtime rivals despite a dazzling performance from rookie pitcher Cam Schlittler. A late-game bullpen collapse turned a tightly contested pitchers’ duel into a bitter loss, snapping the Yankees’ nine-game winning streak against the Twins and leaving manager Aaron Boone to lament a missed opportunity.
The 24-year-old right-hander, making just his sixth career start, was electric early. Leaning on a fastball that touched triple digits, Schlittler mowed down the first nine Twins batters with surgical precision, needing only 33 pitches to cruise through three perfect innings. His command wavered slightly in the fourth and fifth, where he surrendered two hits and two walks, but he still managed to hold Minnesota to a single run—a testament to his grit.
Schlittler’s final line was a career-best: five innings, one run, and a lowered ERA of 3.94. Reflecting on his outing, the rookie remained humble. “I felt good,” he said. “I’m a rookie, so you’ve got to earn that. It’s gonna take time and consistency. I trust the bullpen.”
But the fourth inning hinted at trouble. Byron Buxton, Minnesota’s dynamic center fielder, battled Schlittler for 10 pitches before lacing a double that set up the Twins’ first run. With the heart of Minnesota’s order due up again in the sixth and Schlittler’s pitch count climbing—52 pitches over his final two frames—Boone faced a pivotal decision.
Tied 1-1 after a nearly two-hour rain delay, Boone opted to pull Schlittler in favor of reliever Yerry De los Santos to start the sixth. “I felt like [Schlittler] really had to grind in the fourth and fifth,” Boone explained. “He set us up, especially going into an off day with a rested pen. I felt like we could get there.”
The move proved disastrous. De los Santos, typically a reliable arm with a 1.57 ERA entering the game, imploded. Buxton greeted him with a sharp infield single, followed by Luke Keaschall’s slow-rolling hit. Then Kody Clemens—son of Yankees legend Roger Clemens—crushed a double into the right-center gap, scoring both runners. Two batters later, Royce Lewis added a bloop RBI double off Mark Leiter Jr., pushing Minnesota’s lead to 4-1. De los Santos failed to record a single out, and his ERA ballooned to 2.51.
Boone later admitted he considered sticking with Schlittler. “It was a conversation,” he said. “But [Schlittler] had thrown 52 pitches over the fourth and fifth, coming through a tough part of the lineup. Buxton had seen a ton of pitches before.”
The Yankees’ offense, which had powered decisive wins in the series’ first two games, couldn’t muster a comeback. Minnesota’s Joe Ryan, one of the few stars spared in the Twins’ recent trade-deadline fire sale, was masterful. The right-hander allowed just one run—a third-inning solo homer by Cody Bellinger—over 6.2 innings, striking out seven. Ryan’s pinpoint control and deceptive arm angle baffled New York’s lineup, improving his record to 12-5 with a sparkling 2.72 ERA.
“He was locating really well today,” Bellinger said of Ryan. “It’s such a unique arm, and he mixed really well.”
The loss dropped the Yankees to 64-57 but didn’t cost them their one-game lead for the American League’s third wild card spot. Still, it stung. New York had a chance to gain ground on the Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, and Seattle Mariners—or create breathing room over the Cleveland Guardians and Texas Rangers—all of whom also lost on Wednesday. Instead, the standings remained static.
The defeat ended New York’s dominance over Minnesota, against whom they hold a 125-45 record since 2002, including playoffs. After cruising to victories on Monday and Tuesday, the Yankees fell short of a sweep against a depleted Twins roster.
“When you lose, it sucks,” Boone said. “It’s on us right now. If we want to catch those teams or get where we want to go, we’ve got to play well over an extended period.”
Despite the heartbreak, Schlittler’s gem offered a silver lining. The rookie’s poise under pressure signals a bright future, even if his night ended early. For the Yankees, the focus now shifts to sustaining their wild card position as the season’s final stretch looms. Wednesday’s loss was a reminder: in a tight playoff race, every decision—and every pitch—matters.