BALTIMORE — Yankees left-hander Ryan Weathers was on the verge of something special Monday night. After losing nine pounds to a viral illness that pushed his start back four days, the 25-year-old took the mound at Oriole Park on nine days' rest and promptly silenced the Baltimore bats. For six innings, it was pure dominance—no hits, nine strikeouts, and a 2-0 lead. History was within reach.
But baseball can be cruel. Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman led off the seventh with a soft single past second baseman Jazz Chisholm, ending the no-hit bid. From there, the game unraveled faster than a bad bullpen session. After Rutschman's hit, Pete Alonso grounded out to second, advancing the runner, but Weathers walked Tyler O'Neill to put the tying run aboard. At 101 pitches, manager Aaron Boone made the call to the bullpen.
Enter Brent Headrick, who faced Coby Mayo with two on. After a slider missed low, Headrick got a called strike, but the next pitch—another slider at the knees—was launched over the left-field wall. Just like that, a 2-0 lead became a 3-2 deficit. The Orioles' crowd erupted, and the Yankees' road trip took another brutal turn.
The ninth inning offered a glimmer of hope. Ryan McMahon flied out to the right-field wall for the second out, but Paul Goldschmidt kept it alive with a single to right. Pinch-runner Jose Caballero took over, but his attempt to steal second was cut down to end the game. Quietly. Painfully.
This has been a rough stretch for the Yankees. They arrived in Baltimore after being swept in Milwaukee, including two walk-off losses. And now, a game that started with such promise—thanks to Ben Rice's two-run homer in the third, his 13th of the season—ends with another gut punch. Rice's opposite-field blast followed a one-out walk by Trent Grisham off Orioles starter Brandon Young, giving New York its brief cushion.
Weathers finished with a no-decision: 6⅓ innings, two runs, and the lingering feeling of what could have been. For a team already searching for answers, this one stings a little more.