The Yankees were 1 strike away from a win, but Clay Holmes threw a wild pitch and Baltimore scored to tie the game in the 9th, then win it in the 10th as the Yankee offense fell asleep in the rain — failing to score after the 2nd inning.
It ruined another good start by Jordan Montgomery, who struck out a career high 12 in 5.2 innings. It also left the Yankees out of the Wild Card picture — as both Boston and Toronto did not play thus the Yanks fall .5 games behind both.
1. Monty Brilliant
Jordan Montgomery was brilliant again, using his 82-MPH curveball and 83-MPH changeup and tossing in an occasional fastball that touched 93 MPH to strike out 12 of the 17 outs he registered.
Career-high 12 Ks for Gumby 🔥 pic.twitter.com/5m5QwX0Unk
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 16, 2021
“I thought he was really sharp, right from the get go,” said manager Aaron Boone afterwards about Monty. “He had a couple ticks on his heater, the change up he had at any time, threw some good curveballs. He kinda had everything going tonight. I thought he threw the ball really well.”
Monty had a shutout going thru 5 innings, but allowed a leadoff homer to Ryan Mountcastle in the 6th to make it 2-1 NY. He then got 2 outs but walked a batter and was gone after 99 pitches.
Monty’s line: 5.1 innings, 6 hits, 1 run, 12 strikeouts, 1 walk.
Albert Abreu came in to strikeout the last batter of the 6th, and all looked tentatively good for NY.
2. Yanks Take 2-0 Early Lead
The Yanks jumped on top 1-0 in the top of the 2nd on a homerun by Joey Gallo off Baltimore’s starter, the 28-yr-old 6’5 righty Chris Ellis.
What’s the opposite of shallow? Gallo. pic.twitter.com/K0aAkXvE5f
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 16, 2021
Ellis then walked Gary Sanchez and Tyler Wade, and with 1 out, Gio Urshela doubled in a run to make it 2-0 NY.
Gio drives in 1⃣ more. pic.twitter.com/lHarBVzQHU
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 16, 2021
3. Yank Bullpen Does Its Job
After Abreu got the final out of the 6th, he allowed a leadoff single in the 7th, then got 2 outs and was relieved by lefty Joely Rodriguez to pitch to the tough lefty Cedric Mullins with a runner on 1st.
In a huge at bat at the time, Joely got Mullins to ground out and all was looking tentatively good for the Yanks.
Clay Holmes pitched a shutout 8th and things were still looking tentatively good for the Yanks.
4. Baltimore Pen Shuts Yanks Out
But the Yankees couldn’t muster an insurance run. Baltimore’s pen of Fernando Abad, Dillon Tate, Connor Greene, and Cole Sulser shut the Yankees out for the final 5.1 innings of the game.
5. Baltimore Ties It with 2 Outs in 9th
After looking so good in the 8th, Clay Holmes pitched the 9th and got the 1st out, but then allowed a single to DJ Stewart — who was pinch-run for by Kelvin Gutiérrez. Holmes threw a wild pitch to allow Gutierrez to go to 2nd, but got out #2 when Pat Valaika grounded out — Gutierrez advancing to 3rd.
With 2 outs, Holmes had 2 strikes on next batter Austin Hays — the Yanks a strike away from a win — when he threw a wild pitch to tie the score.
Yankee Twitter felt Gary Sanchez should have had it. Holmes then struck out Hays on the next pitch to end the inning — but the damage was done.
Down to our last strike, then things got wild. pic.twitter.com/RxTXo86Jzx
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) September 17, 2021
6. Baltimore Wins It in 10th
The Yankee offense had gone into hiding and couldn’t move their inherited runner at all in the top of the 10th — and in the bottom of the 10th Wandy Peralta got into trouble as a leadoff bunt single and intentional walk loaded the bases with nobody out.
Wandy struck out Ryan Mountcastle to give everyone hope, but went 3-0 on Austin Hays before he singled to left on a 3-1 pitch for the old ballgame.
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