Yankees drop seventh straight as Tigers rally past them in 11th
The New York Yankees lost their seventh straight game on Wednesday, falling 6-2 to the Detroit Tigers in 11 innings at Yankee Stadium despite a ninth-inning rally. Camilo Doval walked in the go-ahead run during a four-run 11th, giving New York its longest skid since a nine-game slide in August 2023.
Key Takeaways
- The Tigers completed a three-game sweep at Yankee Stadium with a 6-2, 11-inning win on July 1, 2026.
- New York's seventh consecutive loss is its worst stretch since losing nine straight from Aug. 12-22, 2023.
- Detroit starter Troy Melton held the Yankees to two hits over 6 1/3 scoreless innings before the bullpen wobbled and recovered.
- Camilo Doval issued three walks in the 11th, including a bases-loaded free pass to Spencer Torkelson that broke a 2-2 tie.
- The Yankees are 12-15 since Aaron Judge fractured a rib and have lost 11 of their last 14 games.
After their captain said focus was lacking, the Yankees went from the verge of a dramatic win to another frustrating defeat. New York rallied to tie the game in the ninth, but could not finish the job in extra innings against a Tigers club that has leaned heavily on starting pitching all season.
Why did the Yankees' seventh straight loss matter so much?
The streak is more than a bad week. New York is on its first seven-game skid since Aug. 12-23, 2023, when a nine-game slide briefly pushed the club under .500 before it salvaged a 33rd straight winning season with 82 wins.
Similar pressure is building now. The Yankees entered Wednesday at 48-38, missing Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Trent Grisham, and have gone 12-15 since Judge fractured a rib. They are hitting .137 over the seven-game slide and .180 during a stretch of 11 losses in 13 games, per ESPN.
How did the Tigers complete their Yankee Stadium sweep?
Detroit took a 2-0 lead on Kevin McGonigle's third-inning solo homer off Will Warren and Riley Greene's sixth-inning sacrifice fly. Warren was solid over 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on five hits with seven strikeouts, but Troy Melton was sharper.
Melton worked 6 1/3 scoreless frames with seven strikeouts, two hits and one walk, extending a run in which Tigers starters have allowed four earned runs or fewer in 35 straight games — a franchise record, according to The Detroit News. It was Detroit's first sweep at the current Yankee Stadium and its first series sweep of New York in the city since 2008.
What unraveled for New York in the ninth and 11th innings?
The Yankees looked poised to snap the skid when Amed Rosario homered in the ninth and Jazz Chisholm Jr. tied the game with speed — a single, stolen second, stolen third and a run on a wild pitch. Manager A.J. Hinch stayed with Drew Anderson instead of turning to closer Kenley Jansen, and Anderson coughed up the lead.
Keider Montero escaped a jam in the 10th with back-to-back strikeouts, then Detroit erupted in the 11th. Doval intentionally walked Greene before consecutive bases-loaded walks to Hao-Yu Lee and Torkelson. Zach McKinstry followed with a two-run single, and another run scored on a throwing error by catcher Ali Sánchez — New York's 17th error in 12 games.
Can the Yankees turn it around without Judge?
New York won nine of its first 13 games without Judge, but the offense has cratered during the skid. Five of the Yankees' seven hits Wednesday came against relievers after Melton, Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal combined to allow two runs and four hits while striking out 26 across the series.
Judge spoke before Wednesday's game about missing focus, and the late rally showed fight. Until that translates into wins, though, the skid will keep defining a club trying to stay afloat in a crowded AL race. For more trend-driven coverage across our newsroom, see Future Tech & AI Wonders.