09/01/2026
Game 138. File under Forgettable. Yanks crushed by Angels, 10-1.
(sorry, link trouble).
The day was more notable for what happened before the game than during it. The Yankees claimed a pitcher off the Royals, there was a controversy that went overboard but will still fester that I’ll discuss, and in the end, the actual game played that day, was forgettable, as the Yankees lost 10-1 to the Angels out in Anaheim.
First things first. The Yanks picked up John Schreiber off of the Royals. The Royals had placed the free agent to be on the waiver line and the Yankees snatched him up, and by so doing before today, Sept. 1, Schreiber is eligible for the postseason (as long as he is on 40-man or 60-day IL). Schreiber, 32, RHP, was 1-3, 3.65 for KC this season, with splits that were significantly favorable for him as far as getting right-handed hitters out (right-handed hitters hitting .143 against him this year, lefties .326). He’s pitched for Detroit and Boston in his career before KC. Career record, 16-15, 3.65. He pitched in 5 postseason games in 2024, including all four games the Royals played against the Yankees’ in that year’s ALDS, totaling 3 2/3 scoreless innings.
The second thing was about the 16-1 trouncing in the Boston game on Sunday and the trap on Chisholm’s single, then later on Chisholm stealing two bases up 7-1 in the eighth. Let’s start with the single. Apparently, there is slowed down video of the ball on the ground, and making a rotation on the ground. So nice try, but apparently a good call. Whatever. There’s arguments for a certain rule, then there is the bitching about it should have been a DP. If the call was overturned, you don’t assume a DP. Then, for those crying about how it changed the course of the game, hey…. you pitch through it. First and second. Ali Sanchez bunted them over, like he was supposed to do. I mean, the guy has ONE MLB HR in his whole career. So he did his job, laid down the bunt. As a pitcher, you have to put that out of your mind and get out of the inning. I know, easier said than done, and every team and every pitcher has failed to do so. But that is your job. To strand the runners. It’s not the umpire’s fault that your pitcher then gave up a 2-run single to a guy about to turn 39 in a couple of weeks. Or a 3-run HR to a guy 7 for his last 59. You tough it out. You shake it off. Yes, it’s an important game. Winner gets the tiebreaker. You can’t fold in the event of something not going your way. He folded. It’s called toughing it out. Fortitude. Bitching that this cost you when they final score was 16-1? Laughable. Folding up after this like a cheap accordion? Laughable.
Next, and this was cleared up by Michael Kay on his show the next day, was a controversy in the eighth inning. Up 7-1, Jazz Chisholm walked to lead off the eighth. Aaron Boone signaled for him NOT to run, but then saw that they were not holding him on. He hollered over to Boston’s manager about it, and I won’t get into details, but basically said if you are going to play a certain way, then I then have to play a certain way, and then gave Jazz the right to go. So Jazz didn’t go on his own, but only AFTER his “right” to go was determined by what Boston’s defense was at that particular time. And then, after he did reach third, Boston brought their infield in. In a 7-1 game. When Wells was up. When Wells hit his first homer of that inning. And when Wells WAS up, one of Boston’s broadcasters, still harping about the trap, crossed the line in his broadcast as far as what he thought about it. Sigh. Boone told Kay that he and Boston manager Tracy discussed everything after the game, and they were cool. At 7-1, Boone said, should Boston get two runners on in the ninth, he still was in a situation where he might have needed Bednar, and did not want to do that, what with his recent workload and the cross-country flight to Anaheim. Tracy understood. All cool. The Boston broadcaster, receiving a bunch of flak and worse for his comment, apologized the next day, and talked to Boone about his comment as well, as far as drilling Wells or going after Jazz as he was scoring on Wells’ HR. Brushbacks are part of the game. But even so, they could be dangerous. We know what an unintentional beanball can do. As a Boston broadcaster, he should know full well the story of Tony Conigliaro.
Ok, enough of that. Probably more of that than on the game itself. A 10-1 loss. Which knocks the Yanks down to 78-60 on the season. Tampa Bay lost, so the Yanks stay 4 1/2 back of the Rays, but Boston benefitted from a Seattle meltdown to win in extra innings, so Boston is 3 back of the Yanks.
The Yanks didn’t hit, and the game basically came down to giving the Angels a couple of gifts, and those two-out, two-strike hits that drive you crazy. One strike away from getting out of the inning, and…
In the top of the first, the Yanks got a one-out single by Cody Bellinger, and one out later, a single by Amed Rosario. Both runners moved up on a passed ball, but Trent Grisham, 2 for his last 37, struck out. (Radical thought: When Judge returns, the Yanks have a roster crunch. Right now, Jones is a better defensive CF than Grisham and should be playing in CF, not Trent. And as far as backup OF goes, Ramos plays the corners, Trent doesn’t. Ramos is a righty hitter, Trent isn’t. Cody can slide to CF in an emergency. Caballero and even Jazz can play OF in an emergency, same with Rosario. Interesting.)
In the bottom of the third, Yankees’ starter, Elmer Rodriguez, their #3 prospect, gave up a leadoff double, but with two out, couldn’t get out of the inning, giving up a walk and single before getting a groundout. Angels, 1-0. The single was a jam shot into center. I can live with than.
But in the bottom of the fourth, it all fell apart for Elmer, and quickly. Up until then, he was pitching well. He got a groundout, then a strikeout. 3 2/3 IP, 1 R. No indication of what was to come. 1-0 game. Get out of this inning at 1-0. Was doing fine. Then the roof fell in. With a 1-2 count on former Yankee Oswald Peraza, he hit Peraza. Then another HBP. He got to a full-count on Zach Neto. One pitch away from getting out of it. Single. 2-0, and on the throw to the plate, the runners move up. Second and third. Future HOF Mike Trout singles both runners in. 4-0. Night over for Elmer. Michael Fulmer got the last out. For all intensive purposes, that was the ball game right there, for Walbert Urena was pitching a gem for the Angels.
The only run the Yanks’ got all night was in the top of the fifth, when Spencer Jones homered (8th).
But in the bottom of the fifth, Fulmer gave up a double, got a strikeout, then gave up another double, and it was 5-1. Then the Yanks’ got sloppy. Fulmer tried a pickoff, threw it away and the runner scored all the way from second. 6-1.
Luis Gil came on in the bottom of the sixth. A walk, strikeout, then a single but runners on the corners with one out. Gil got a groundball to Jose Caballero, but Jose first booted the ball, then made a throwing error on it. Two errors on the same play. 7-1.
The Angels got three more runs in the bottom of the eighth off of David Bednar, who was getting some work in. It was that kind of night. At least if Bednar was going to have a blip and give up three runs, it came in this type of game, where those three runs didn’t cost a game.
You put it in the rear-view mirror and go to the next game. And just like with missed errors, bad calls, etc. you put it in the rear view mirror and go on to the next play. You don’t take an at bat onto the field, or your last at bat into the next one.
As John would have said, ‘That’s baseball, Suzyn.:
Bellinger 2 hits.
Rosario 2 hits.
Jones solo HR (8th)
Rodriguez (L, 0-3) 3 2/3 IP, 4 R, 4 H, 3 W, 5 K. 2 HBP. 5.40 91 pitches, 51 strikes. Has the stuff, needs work on the control.
Fulmer 1 1/3 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 H, 0 W, 2 K. 1.42
Gil 2 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 W, 3 K. 1 HBP 5.91
Bednar 1 IP, 3 R, 4 H, 0 W, 0 K. 1 WP. 2.73
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