The New York Yankees’ woes in extra innings persisted Tuesday night, as they let a strong outing from Carlos Rodón go to waste in a 5-4 loss to the Reds in 11 innings at Great American Ball Park.
New York (45-34) has now lost the first two games of the series in Cincinnati, remains winless in extra-inning games this season, and has dropped nine of its last 12 overall.
Aaron Judge briefly gave the Yankees the edge in the top of the 11th, scoring as the ghost runner on a wild pitch. But the Reds responded with two runs in the bottom half to walk it off and clinch the series.
Making his MLB debut, Reds top prospect Chase Burns was electric early, striking out the first five batters he faced. The Yankees finally broke through in the fourth when Ben Rice crushed a solo home run, his 14th of the season, and Anthony Volpe drove in two more with a triple after a misplay in center.
Rodón delivered his second consecutive scoreless outing, scattering four hits and a walk over six innings with five strikeouts. He lowered his ERA to 2.92 on the season.
The bullpen, however, couldn’t preserve the lead. Jonathan Loáisiga allowed a walk and three consecutive hits in the seventh, including a bases-clearing double that tied the game. Mark Leiter Jr. held the Reds off in the 10th but faltered in his second inning of work, surrendering the decisive runs in the 11th.
The Yankees went just 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left the bases loaded in the 10th, missing another golden chance when Judge popped out to end the inning.
New York turns to Max Fried on Wednesday night to avoid the sweep. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].