Spencer Jones BLAST Secures Max Fried Win. NY 8 Minnesota 1

September 16, 2026 paperbacklou 2026 0
Spencer Jones hits 3-run, 423-foot BLAST into 2nd deck of centerfield bleachers to blow game open 7-1 in 6th.

Spencer Jones hit a titanic, 423-foot, 3-run BLAST in the 6th inning to turn a 4-1 game into a 7-1 rout as the Yankees beat the Twins 8-1 on a Tuesday night in Minnesota.

Max Fried dominated on the mound for NY, pitching 7 innings of 6-hit, 1-run ball, striking out 6 and walking 0. Fried won to go 5-4 2.63 on the season. Ryan Yarbrough wrapped up with 2 shutout innings.

NY took an early 2-0 lead as Ben Rice led the game off with a single and next batter Cody Bellinger hit a 2-run HR.

NY pushed their lead to 3-1 in the 3rd on an RBI single by George Lombard Jr., and 4-1 in the 6th on an RBI double by Heliot Ramos, just before the HR by Spencer Jones. Jose Caballero made it 8-1 with an RBI single in the 9th.

Anthony Volpe, Lombard, and Ramos got 2 hits each. Bellinger got 3 hits in a 14-hit Yankee attack off Bailey Ober and the Twins’ bullpen.

“Had better control of my off-speed pitches; was able to throw them for strikes,” said Max Fried afterwards about his performance. “Felt like I was able to throw them in any count; was really confident with that. Worked really well with Ali (Sanchez). Also when you have the defense make really great plays behind you, it adds to your confidence.”

NY is now 88-63, and remain 3.5 behind Tampa but are now 6 ahead of Boston. Minnesota falls to 70-81.

1. Bellinger HR Puts Yanks Up 2-0 Immediately

The Twins started 31-year-old, 6’9 righthander Bailey Ober, who came in with a 7-5 4.28 record. The Yanks got to him right away — Ben Rice fouling off 3 straight 2-2 pitches before singling to right to lead off the game, and next batter Cody Bellinger hitting a 400-foot HR to right center for a 2-0 Yankee lead.

2. Lombard RBI Single Gives NY 3-1 Lead in 3rd

Ober pitched around consecutive 1-out singles by Anthony Volpe and Ali Sanchez in the 2nd by getting consecutive flyouts to end the inning, but NY peppered him again in the 3rd.

With 1 out, new Yankees Heliot Ramos and Luis Garcia Jr. got on base with a walk and a single, respectively — and with 2 outs, George Lombard Jr. hit a CLUTCH RBI single to right for a 3-1 NY lead.

3. Fried Tremendous

Max Fried worked around a leadoff single in the 1st, then appeared to be doing the same thing in the 2nd — allowing a leadoff single but getting 2 strikeouts — when Emmanuel Rodriguez singled to center for a 2-1 game.

But he picked Rodriguez off 1st to end the 2nd, and after that settled down, retiring 9 batters in a row while pitching a 1-2-3 inning in the 3rd and 4th. His curveball was CURVING and his off-speed stuff was FILTHY. Add to that his variable velocity fastball that goes 93, 94, 95, 96 or 97 MPH depending on how he is setting up the hitter.

Fried got help from his defense — George Lombard Jr. with a spiffy play in the hole for the 2nd out of the 3rd — helped by Luis Garcia Jr. on the other end making a terrific catch of the strong, 1-hop throw.

By the bottom of the 6th, Fried was staked to a 7-1 lead. He allowed a leadoff single, but got a grounder right back to himself that he turned into a doubleplay to erase the runner.

Fried allowed a leadoff triple to Kody Clemens in the 7th — but stranded him on 3rd by getting a lineout to right, and then striking out 3rd baseman Brooks Lee and outfielder Victor Caratini to end his evening.

4. S Jones 3-Run BLAST Puts Game Away in 6th

Ober got the first out of the 6th and was relieved in the 3-1 game. Minnesota brought in 35-year-old, 6’3 lefty Taylor Rogers, and the Yankees pounced.

Ben Rice got on due to an error by shortstop Kaelen Culpepper. Cody Bellinger walked. And Heliot Ramos doubled to left to make it 4-1 NY.

Luis Garcia Jr. grounded out, but Spencer Jones came up with 2 outs — and hit a ROCKET, 423 feet into the 2nd deck in centerfield for a 3-run HR and 7-1 Yankee lead.

5. Caballero RBI Single Gives NY 8-1 Lead in 9th

The Yankees added a run in the top of the 9th off 24-year-old righty reliever Andrew Morris — off a leadoff walk by George Lombard Jr. and a 2-out single by Jose Caballero for an 8-1 lead.

6. Yarbrough Finishes with 2 Shutout Innings

Ryan Yarbrough finished the game with 2 shutout innings — allowing but a 2-out single in the 8th and pitching a 1-2-3 inning in the 9th for the old ballgame.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401816953

 

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