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In a complete dud of a game, 24-year-old Simeon Woods Richardson shut the Yanks down for 6 innings — striking out 11 while allowing only 2 hits — and the Twins bullpen did the same for the last 3 — as NY was bludgeoned 7-0 on a Monday night in Minnesota.
Carlos Rodon pitched well — allowing 2 runs in 6 innings, and one of the runs wouldn’t have scored if his Defense made a double play behind him in the 3rd. But — bad news for Yankee fans — Luke Weaver turned a 2-0 pitchers’ duel into a 7-0 blowout by getting creamed in the 7th — allowing consecutive doubles, consecutive walks, and then a bases-clearing double.
“Yea, that was trash,” said Luke Weaver afterwards about his appearance. “Obviously I’ll recap it — off the riff though the body just wasn’t on time — it wasn’t aligned with what I was trying to execute and do. I felt like I was fighting myself the whole time. Mentally just trying to overcome it; have a good mindset. Those two things just weren’t coming together.”
Weaver explained what he meant by his body not being on time: “The expectation of mechanics getting into the right places, firing on the right lanes to certain spots; it was just slow; it was lagging.”
“I thought he did an ok job with (Trevor) Larnach,” said manager Aaron Boone afterwards about Weaver. “He kind of jams him for the double down the line, keeps it fair; and then (Brooks) Lee another kind of soft double that doesn’t hook. The bunt and then he loses (Edouard) Julian with the top of the order coming up there. A couple of walks that really hurt him, and then the bases-clearing double.”
NY drops to 83-67 and fall to 5 games back of Toronto but remain 1 ahead of Boston. Minnesota improves to 66-84.
1. Woods-Richardson Stifles Yanks
Who?
Simeon Woods-Richardson — a highly regarded prospect who was originally drafted in the 2nd round (#48 overall) of the June 2018 draft by the Mets, and was traded to Toronto as the main piece when they acquired Marcus Stroman in 2019. He was then the main piece of a trade between Toronto and Minnesota, when they got back in return Jose Berrios in 2020.
Woods-Richardson was the #3 prospect in the Toronto organization when they traded him, and fell a bit to #8 prospect in the Twins organization before he was called up to the majors for spot appearances in 2022 and 2023.
He started 28 games for Minnesota in 2024, going 5-5 4.17, and was 6-4 4.58 coming into this game.
The 24-year-old, 6’3 athletic right-hander looked like Cy Young with the results of Nolan Ryan, striking out 11 while allowing only 2 hits in 6 innings.
Woods-Richardson’s fastball never topped 93 MPH, but he got lots of strikeouts with his 85-MPH slider.
Simeon Woods-Richardson, Nasty Splitters. ✌️
5Ks thru 3 pic.twitter.com/vIL5uLLYG8
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 16, 2025
The Yanks had a baserunner with 1 out in 5 of the 6 innings Woods-Richardson pitched:
- A 1-out walk to Aaron Judge in the 1st,
- A 1-out single by Paul Goldschmidt in the 2nd,
- A 1-out walk by Trent Grisham in the 3rd,
- A 1-out double by Jose Caballero in the 5th, and
- A 1-out walk to Aaron Judge in the 6th. But each time
But each time he got the next 2 outs to end the inning — Caballero was picked off 2nd in that 5th.
Caballero rips a nice double, then gets picked off pic.twitter.com/hlhTXxxWJk
— Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) September 16, 2025
2. Rodon Good; Deserved Better
Meanwhile Carlos Rodon pitched a good game — 6 innings, 2 runs allowed — and should have allowed only 1 run. In the 3rd inning, Rodon got a double-play grounder with runners on 1st and 3rd that should have ended the inning — but it wasn’t turned due to Caballero hesitation — so a run scored to make it 1-0 Minny at the time.
The defense couldn’t complete what should’ve been a double play and the Twins score a run pic.twitter.com/WttKyMGjje
— Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) September 16, 2025
Rodon allowed a solo HR to Brooks Lee leading off the 5th to make it 2-0 Minny.
But Rodon finished by striking out the side in the 6th — the first batter Keaschall reaching on a passed ball by Austin Wells — who then threw Keaschall out trying to steal.
Rodon gets the strikeout, and Wells fires a dart to complete the double play pic.twitter.com/9zK5c5B18r
— Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) September 16, 2025
Rodon after 6 left trailing 2-0 in a pitchers’ duel. Rodon loses to go 16-9 3.11.
3. Weaver Clobbered
And then in came Luke Weaver for the 7th, and he didn’t have it.
- Leadoff double by pinch-hitter Trevor Larnach,
- RBI double by shortstop Brooks Lee,
- Sacrifice bunt by catcher Jhonny Perada,
- Walk to 1st baseman Edouard Julien,
- Walk to centerfielder Byron Buxton to load the bases with 1 out — and
- 3-RBI, bases-clearing double by leftfielder Austin Martin for a 6-0 game.
4. Doval & Hill Clean Up the Mess
Camilo Doval came in and allowed an RBI single to Keaschall (run charged to Weaver) before getting Lewis to line out into a double play — 3rd (Ryan McMahon) to 1st.
Tim Hill pitched a 1-2-3 shutout 8th.
5. Minny Bullpen Shuts Out NY Too
Simeon Woods-Richardson left after 6 — but NY — down 2-0 at the time — were not able to pounce on 6’4 lefty reliever Kody Funderburk in the top of the 7th — he got groundout, groundout, strikeout (of McMahon) for a 1-2-3 inning.
By the top of the 8th, NY was down 7-0. The Yanks staged a mini rally against 25-year-old, 6’1 righty Travis Adams — consecutive walks with 2 outs by Trent Grisham and Aaron Judge — but Bellinger flied out and that was that.
26-year-old, 6’1 righty Pierson Ohl pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the 9th — strikeout, groundout, groundout — for the old ballgame.
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