Devin Save, Yankee HRs & Cam Perfect Bid! NY 6 Tampa 4 in 10

August 21, 2025 paperbacklou 2025 0

Baseball is a game of stories. There’s the story of the season, the story of individual games, and the story of the players themselves.

This game had all of it — and felt like several stories in one:

  • A Cam Schlittler Perfect Game into the 7th;
  • 5 Yankee HR’s,
  • A blown save by David Bednar;
  • More Yankee HR’s in the 10th to vault them ahead; and
  • A Rollercoaster save by Devin Williams who struck out the last 3 batters of the game to get out of his own mess with the tying run on 2nd.

In between all that there were sub-stories:

  • A terrific relief appearance by Luke Weaver getting out of a jam in the 7th, protecting a 2-0 lead.
  • Two of the key HR’s were hit by the beleaguered Austin Wells, including one that ended up icing the game in the 10th.
  • Trent Grisham hit 2 HR’s to make up for the prior game where he was the only Yankee not to participate in the hitting barrage.
  • And Giancarlo Stanton — rested after a game where he hit 2 HR’s — pinch hit a dramatic 2-run HR in the 10th to make Aaron Boone look good.

On a hot, Humid Wednesday night at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.

“Incredible, down to the last strike there,” said manager Aaron Boone afterwards about the crazy game. “What great at bats. Big G — what you can say. More of the same. What an elite level at bat. And Wellsy finishing off a great night. And then Devin — back against the wall; 2 hits to start it; doesn’t flinch; goes against their best hitters and punches out the side.”

“What a performance,” added Boone about Schlittler. “Dominant. Stuff was overwhelming. Best breaking ball he’s had all year to go with the big fastball. And he was so efficient. He was just living in the strike zone; filling it up. A dominant outing.”

NY improves to 69-57, and are 4 back of Toronto and 1.5 ahead of Boston heading into a big 4-game series vs Boston at The Stadium. Tampa falls to 61-66.

1. Grisham HR Leads Off Game

Tampa started Drew Rasmussen, their Ace who came in with a 10-5 2.60 record.

But Trent Grisham — the only Yankee to not get a hit in the 9-HR hit-fest of the night before — started off the game with a 345-foot HR to right for a 1-0 Yankee lead.

2. Wells HR in 5th Gives NY a 2-0 Lead

After that Drew Rasmussen walked 2 more in the 1st, before settling down and pitching a 1-2-3 inning in the 2nd and 3rd, and then pitching around 2 singles in the 4th via a double play groundout.

So it was a 1-0 Pitcher’s Duel into the 5th — with Cam Schlittler shutting Tampa down for the Yanks.

Austin Wells — who has lost playing time at catcher to Ben Rice — made it 2-0 NY with a 409-foot blast to right.

3. Schlittler Perfect Game Into the 7th

Meanwhile Cam Schlittler was the biggest story of the game, as he mowed down the Rays with a Vicious curveball to go along with his 100-MPH heat.

Schlittler retired the first 18 batters in a row — a Perfect Game through 6 innings.

Said Joe Girardi on the YES broadcast about Schlitter as he struck out Josh Lowe with his WICKED curveball in the 5th: “That (curveball) is his best breaking ball. I believe he can be similar to the young Tyler Glasnow when he had the 98, 99 up in the zone and the big curveball. Sometimes he doesn’t get his upper body in track with his lower body and his arm lags on his slider & his sweeper, and it leads to hangers.”

Schlittler struck out 8, and got almost all easy groundouts beyond that; there were only 2 flyball outs through 6.

4. Weaver Saves Schlittler in 7th

Leftfielder and leadoff hitter Chandler Simpson broke up Schlittler’s Perfect Game with a single to center leading off the 7th.

Schlittler then got in some trouble — a strikeout, walk, and strikeout followed — then a walk to Josh Lowe on a 3-2 pitch to load the bases with 2 outs.

In came Luke Weaver with bases loaded, 2 outs in the 2-0 game — and he struck out catcher Hunter Feduccia swinging to end the threat.

5. Grisham 2nd HR Gives NY 3-0 Lead in 8th

Trent Grisham hit his 2nd HR of the night in the top of the 8th for a big insurance run and 3-0 Yankee lead.

6. Bednar Blows Save

But Luke Weaver allowed a solo HR to B Seymour in the bottom of the 8th to make it 3-1 NY.

David Bednar then blew the save in the 9th — a strikeout, walk, single, strikeout — and 2-out, 2-RBI double to center by Hunter Feduccia tied it 3-3.

7. Big G & Austin HR’s Put NY Up 6-3 in 10th

To the 10th with Pete Fairbanks in for Tampa, their Ace Reliever.

Giancarlo Stanton was given the night off by Boone, after hitting 2 HR’s the game before so you know what Yankee Twitter was like.

But the night off made Stanton available as a pinch hitter off the bench — and he pinch hit for Ryan McMahon to start the 10th, with the inherited runner on 2nd — and hit a 3-2, 96-MPH four-seam fastball for a MISSILE into the left field seats. NY 5 Tampa 3.

Next batter Austin Wells hit a 2-2 slider DEEP to right center for a 423-foot HR and 6-3 Yankee lead.

8. Devin Rollercoaster Save

And so in came Devin Williams for the save in the bottom of the 10th. And you can imagine Yankee Twitter — as Devin has coughed up so many such saves this year — although he has pitched well recently in low pressure situations.

Devin immediately allowed an RBI single to Bob Seymore, scoring the inherited runner for a 6-4 game.

And then he coughed up a double to right by Tristan Gray, putting runners on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out — the tying run in scoring position.

And then…

Devin Williams got redemption — striking out Chandler Simpson looking, Yandy Diaz swinging, and Brandon Lowe swinging for the old ballgame.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401696805

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*