Luis Gil allowed two early 2-run HR’s, and Paul Blackburn got hammered in the 5th putting NY down 7-0 — and sans for a lone Aaron Judge HR in the 6th — NY spent the afternoon getting killed.
Spencer Arrighetti — on the Houston hill — shut the Yanks out through the first 6 innings, and the Houston pen carried the 7-1 lead into the 9th.
Then with 2 outs and nobody on and the game just about over — the Yanks got 4 consecutive hits for 3 runs and a 7-4 game — getting within a bloop and a blast of tying it. Jose Caballero hit a shot to 3rd — but right at the 3rd baseman for the final out.
The loss broke the Yankees’ 8-game winning streak.
After the game the Yankees sent Luis Gil back to AAA.
NY drops to 18-10; Houston salvages a game in the 3-game set and improves to 11-18.
1. Gil Allows Two 2-Run HR’s Early
Luis Gil got hit for a 2-out, 2-run HR by Christian Walker in the bottom of the 1st for a 2-0 Houston lead. He rebounded with a 1-2-3 inning in the 3rd, but got clipped again for a 2-out, 2-run HR by Isaac Paredes in the 3rd for a 4-0 game.
Gil rebounded again for a 1-2-3 inning in the 4th but allowed a walk and a double to the first 2 batters of the 5th and was relieved.
2. Blackburn Ripped in the 5th — then Settles Down
Paul Blackburn came in and immediately allowed and RBI single to Paredes and 2-RBI double to Christian Walker for a 7-0 game.
After that Blackburn settled down, getting a flyout and doubleplay to end the 5th, and pitching a shutout 6th and 7th.
3. Arrighetti Stifles Yanks
Meanwhile Spencer Arrighetti was shutting out the Yankees with a tremendous effort.
Arrighetti is a very good, 6’2, 26-year-old right hander who the Yankees ran into in 2024 during his rookie year. He missed most of 2025 with a fractured thumb suffered in April.
He has been terrific in this his 3rd season, coming in with a 2-0 2.45 slash line.
And he shut down the Yankees for the first 6 innings with his curve and splitter combined with a sneaky 93-MPH fastball. He would finish with 7 IP, 3 hits, 1 run, 8 K’s, and 1 walk to go 3-0 2.00 on the season.
4. Judge HR #10 Makes It 7-1 in 6th
Aaron Judge finally got to Arrighetti with 2 outs in the top of the 6th with a solo HR to center for a 7-1 game. It was his 34th birthday — so this was a birthday gift to himself.
A birthday blast for the Cap ?
Aaron Judge’s 10th home run of the year comes on his 34th birthday! pic.twitter.com/OXFyQDr6lT
— MLB (@MLB) April 26, 2026
5. Yanks Get 4 Straight Hits with 2 outs in 9th
Enyel De Los Santos came in for the top of the 9th of the 7-1 game and got the first 2 outs — and NY was an out away from game over.
And then:
- Jazz Chisholm Jr. reached on an infield single,
- Paul Goldschmidt doubled in Chisholm for a 7-2 game,
- J.C. Escarra doubled in Goldschmidt for a 7-3 game, and
- Ryan McMahon singled to right for a 7-4 game.
But just as Yankee fans at home were having visions of the 1986 World Series game 5 — Jose Caballero hit a shot down 3rd, right at Isaac Paredes for the old ballgame.
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