Valdez Is Coming. And Came & Went. Detroit 5 NY 3

June 24, 2026 paperbacklou 2026 0
Jazz Chisholm Jr. sucks on lollipop in 5th inning.

Like the classic Western “Valdez is Coming” staring Burt Lancaster — Framber Valdez kept coming and ended up shooting down the Yanks with 6 innings of 4-hit, 1-run ball for a 5-3 win in Detroit on a Monday night.

Valdez — the long-time Yankee nemesis playing with Houston — signed a 3-year free agent deal with the Tigers this winter. He outdueled Gerrit Cole, who didn’t have his best stuff — allowing 5 runs on 9 hits in 4.1 innings and leaving with a 5-1 deficit.

An Amed Rosario 2-run HR in the 7th made it a 5-3 game, and the Yanks got consecutive infield singles with 2 outs in the 8th to put the tying run at 1st — but that was it.

The game had a notorious moment — caught on camera afterwards — when Jazz Chisholm Jr. casually sucked on a Jolly Rancher lollipop while playing 2nd base in the 5th inning. It would become a viral video after the game.

“Normal Framber,” said manager Aaron Boone afterwards, as yet unaware of the lollipop incident. “He’s good with his sinker/curveball combination; mixed in some changeups — thought he had a presense — even up and down a little bit but both sides of the plate with it. Gave them 6 strong innings and we weren’t able to mount enough.

On Cole, Boone said: “Thought stuff wise he was alright. Had some swing and miss going; had some strikeouts. They didn’t really miss though — when he missed or was a little off with the fastball, they were able to square it up.”

1. Sanchez RBI Double Puts Yanks Up 1-0 in 2nd

Framber Valdez signed a 4-year contract with Detroit this winter, paying him $22M this year, $42M next year, and $35M in 2028 (player option) — with $40M as a mutual club/player option for 2029.

The 32-year-old, 5’11 lefty is a former Ace of the Astros. He was 13-11 3.66 last year and came into this game 3-5 4.09.

The Yanks peppered him early — getting 2 baserunners on in the top of the 1st after 2 were out with a Paul Goldschmidt single and Cody Bellinger walk. But Valdez got Anthony Volpe to ground out to end the inning.

Valdez got the first 2 outs of the 2nd, but Jose Caballero worked a walk and stole 2nd base — and Yankee catcher Ali Sanchez doubled him home for a 1-0 Yankee lead.

2. Valdez Kept Coming — Shoots Yanks Down

Valdez kept coming though. He worked around a 1-out single by Goldschmidt and 2-out single by Volpe in the 3rd — striking out Jazz Chisholm Jr. to end the threat.

  • By the top of the 4th, Valdez was up 3-1, and threw a 1-2-3 inning.
  • By the top of the 5th, Valdez was up 4-1, and threw another 1-2-3 inning.
  • By the top of the 6th, Valdez was up 5-1, and threw another 1-2-3 inning.

He left after 6 innings, up 5-1, and wins to go 4-5 3.91.

3. Cole Beat Up

Gerrit Cole started out pretty good:

  • In the 1st, he allowed a leadoff single, but got 3 straight flyouts to end the inning.
  • In the 2nd, he allowed a leadoff double, but got 3 straight strikeouts to end the inning.
  • But in the 3rd, shortstop Zach McKinstry led off with a triple, and scored on a groundout by 3rd baseman (and leadoff batter) Kevin McGonigle for a 1-1 tie. With 2 outs, rightfielder Kerry Carpenter reached on an infield single, Greene walked, and Spencer Torkelson singled in a run for a 2-1 Detroit lead. DH Colt Keith singled in another run to make it 3-1 before Cole got the final out.
  • Cole allowed a leadoff single to 2nd baseman Hao-Yu Lee to start the 4th, and a 1-out double to McGonigle for a 4-1 game.
  • And then leftfielder Riley Greene led off the 5th with a 422-foot blast to right center for a 5-1 Detroit lead.

4. Jazz Plays 2nd Sucking on Lollipop

Jazz Chisholm Jr. was spotted sucking on a Jolly Rancher lollipop while playing the field in the 5th inning behind Cole.

It would become a bit of a story after the game, when manager Aaron Boone said “That pisses me off. I didn’t know about it until after the game. So he and I talked about it, and that won’t be happening again.”

5. Blackburn & Yarbrough Throw Shutout Ball

Good news for Yanks — Paul Blackburn and Ryan Yarbrough both looked good in combining for 3.2 innings of shutout relief.

Blackburn relieved Cole and got the last 2 outs of the 5th, then pitched a shutout 6th — allowing no hits. He lowers his ERA to 2.78.

Yarbrough — who got roughed up in his last outing — pitched 2 no-hit, shutout innings — the 7th and 8th — dropping his ERA to 3.99.

6. Rosario 2-Run HR Pulls Yanks Within 5-3 in 7th

6’3 righty Drew Anderson came in for the 7th, and got 2 outs before hitting Ali Sanchez with a pitch in the wrist. Austin Wells came in to run for Sanchez. Next batter Amed Rosario hit a HR to right center and it was a ballgame again at 5-3 Detroit.

7. Yanks Put Tying Run on Base in 8th But No Avail

The Yanks rallied with 2 outs in the 8th — consecutive singles to Anthony Volpe and Jazz Chisholm Jr. off 6’3 lefty Drew Summers — to put the tying run at 1st.

But Will Vest — Detroit’s 6’0 righty close, came in and struck out Jasson Dominguez to end the threat.

Vest pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the 9th for the old ballgame.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401815858

 

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