On a game played hours after Charlie Kirk was assassinated, the Yankees lost to the Tigers 11-1 as their bullpen imploded again — allowing 9 runs in the last 3 innings to turn a 2-0 game into a rout.
On a warm September Wednesday night in the Bronx.
The Yankees held a moment of silence for Charlie Kirk before the game — the only team in MLB to do so — something for which they were applauded for across the nation, even by non-Yankee fans. Kirk was the great conservative peoples-person, using debate and conversation to try and bring people together across college campuses and the nation. Some felt he could be President someday.
The game was played under the dark cloud of the Kirk assassination, with Twitter flooded with people’s devastated reactions to it, and in the shadow of September 11th ceremonies planned for the next day, with President Donald Trump scheduled to be at Yankee Stadium.
In the game — Carlos Rodon was tremendous again, in a pitchers’ duel with Jack Flaherty. Rodon blinked — allowing a 2-out, 2-RBI single to Gleyber Torres in the 5th to put Detroit ahead 2-0. Mark Leiter Jr. came in for the 7th, and immediately allowed consecutive leadoff singles that led to a run off Camilo Doval who replaced him after he got a strikeout. Doval though imploded in the 8th, as did Tim Hill — a 5-run inning that put NY down 8-0. Luke Weaver got bombed for 3 more runs in the 9th. NY got its run on an Austin Wells HR.
As the game came to its final innings, word came across that both Toronto and Boston had lost — so this was a “gimme” loss that didn’t feel so bad, especially in light of the more important things going on in the world war that we are all in.
“Carlos obviously threw the ball well, gave us 6 strong there,” said manager Aaron Boone afterwards. “Just didn’t get enough going offensively; they chipped away there. That (7th) inning — (Camilo) Doval comes in and gets a couple of big outs after Mark (Leiter) got the strikeout. And then just.. obviously got away from us there in the 8th when Camilo went back out. These nights are frustrating obviously, but it’s that time of year when we have to get over it and get ready for tomorrow.”
NY drops to 80-65, and remain 3 behind Toronto and tied with Boston. Detroit improves to 84-62, in 1st in the AL Central by 9.5 over Cleveland.
1. A Moment of Silence for Charlie Kirk
The game began with a moment of silence for the great Charlie Kirk.
Before tonight’s game we held a moment of silence in memoriam of Charlie Kirk.
Kirk founded the youth activist group “Turning Point USA” and had become a fixture on college campuses. Charlie Kirk, a husband and father of two children, was 31 years old. pic.twitter.com/Fz5xPlmdu0
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 10, 2025
2. Rodon Great — Gets Bit by Gleyber
Carlos Rodon pitched well — throwing a shutout into the 5th in a 0-0 duel with Jack Flaherty. Rodon retired the side 1-2-3 in the 1st, worked around a 2-out double in the 2nd, allowed just a 2-out single in the 3rd, and pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the 4th.
Carlos Rodón, Nasty 83mph Slider. ? pic.twitter.com/Wt2UqPkUXc
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 10, 2025
Rodon ran into trouble in the 5th — a 1-out single by Dillon Dingler, walk to Parker Meadows, and hit-by-pitch by Baez loaded the bases with 1 out in the 0-0 game. Rodon struck out Jahmai Jones for the 2nd out — but Gleyber Torres singled to center for a 2-0 Tiger lead — before striking out Wenceel Perez to end the inning.
Rodon pitched a shutout 6th — getting 3 straight outs after a leadoff single — and left after 6 with NY down 2-0.
He got the loss to go 16-8 3.11.
3. Flaherty Great in Pitchers’ Duel
Jack Flaherty — erstwhile ace — came in with a 7-13 4.85 record. But Yankee luck — he was on his game.
The 29-year-old, 6’4 righty shut the Yanks out for 5 innings. He worked around a leadoff single by Trent Grisham in the 1st — striking out Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger behind him, and getting Ben Rice to fly out.
Flaherty pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the 2nd, then got out of trouble in the 3rd after allowing a 1-out double to Ryan McMahon and walk to Trent Grisham — by getting Judge to ground out into an inning-ending double play.
Flaherty then pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the 4th and 5th — striking out the side in the 5th — and left with a 2-0 lead, and the win to go 8-13 4.69.
Jack Flaherty, K’ing the Side in the 5th. pic.twitter.com/7Y4aAcZyKr
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 11, 2025
4. Tough Day for Judge; Volpe a Night Off
Tyler Holton came in to pitch the bottom of the 6th, and allowed a leadoff single to Amed Rosario — but then struck out Grisham and got Judge to ground into his second double play of the night.
On the night, Judge went 0-3 with a strike out and hit into 2 double plays. He is now batting .319, leading the league by a half a percentage point over Jacob Wilson.
Anthony Volpe got the night off — replaced at shortstop by Jose Caballero who went 1-3.
5. Leiter Still Rusty — Allows Run in 7th
Manager Aaron Boone had mentioned after the night before’s game that he wanted to get Mark Leiter Jr. more consistent work so he could get in rhythm.
And so here came Mark Leiter Jr. to pitch the 7th after he got killed the night before.
And Leiter allowed consecutive singles to begin the inning — to Meadows and Baez — before striking out Kerry Carpenter for the 1st out and getting yanked for Camilo Doval.
Doval allowed a groundout to Gleyber Torres — scoring a run to make it 3-0 Detroit — before striking out Perez looking.
6. Doval and Hill Lit Up in 8th
But Doval then got ripped in the 8th — a leadoff single to Spencer Torkelson and 2-run HR by Greene made it 5-0 Detroit.
Doval got a groundout but allowed a double to left by Dingler and was yanked for Tim Hill.
And Hill had a rare off night — an RBI single by Parker Meadows, a fly out, and a 3-run HR by Kerry Carpenter made it 8-0 Detroit.
7. Wells HR in 8th Makes It 8-1
Austin Wells had the Yankee offensive highlight of the night — a 1-out, solo HR in the bottom of the 8th off Troy Melton for an 8-1 game.
Austin Wells gets the Yankees on the board with a solo shot
? @SportsonPrime pic.twitter.com/nffexNB02U
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) September 11, 2025
8. Weaver Lit Up in 9th
More bad news — Luke Weaver was lit up in the 9th — single, single, sac fly, 2-run HR by Colt Keith for an 11-1 game.
9. Slater Wraps Up
New Yankee outfielder Austin Slater — who they acquired at the trade deadline but went out injured and was just reinstated — came in to pitch and got the final 2 outs of the 9th.
Slater then led off the bottom of the 9th with a single off Brenan Hanifee, followed by a Cody Bellinger single, and 1-out infield single by Jasson Dominguez to load the bases.
But Jazz Chisholm Jr. lined out to 2nd and Austin Wells grounded out for the old ballgame.
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