Inside The Pinstripes

Burned By Egregious Called Third Strike, Yankees Get Swept By Red Sox

The New York Yankees were swept by the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium, losing after a strike three call led to two Yankees coaches getting ejected for arguing

Max Goodman

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

NEW YORK — With the winning run 90 feet away in the bottom of the ninth, and a chance to salvage the final game of an ugly series against the Red Sox, pinch-hitter Rougned Odor took a called third strike, sending the game to extra innings.

This wasn't any strike-three call, though. The full-count offering from Boston's closer Matt Barnes was a back-door breaking ball, crossing home plate several inches off the outside corner.

After mounting a comeback in the ninth just to put the game-winning run on base, there were already pent-up emotions from the Yankees' dugout. An egregious call in that spot, however, resulted in an eruption from those on the bench and a crowd of 19,103 in the ballpark. 

Two ejections and a two-spot from the Red Sox in the top of the 10th later, the Yankees were swept by the division rival at Yankee Stadium for the first time in 10 years. 

"Obviously very frustrated. You saw some of that emotion spill over," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after the loss. "That's just playing for a lot and obviously going through a really tough stretch and some of that emotion spilling over."

Moments after Odor was rung up by home plate umpire Gabe Morales, the chirping from the first-base dugout reached a boiling point. Morales promptly threw one of the Yankees coaches—Phil Nevin—out of the game. 

Nevin, who typically coaches third base, only recently returned to the dugout after a scary battle with COVID-19. Red in the face, Nevin got his money's worth, stomping out on the field to bark at Morales.

Emotions settled as New York took the field to begin extra innings, with the game still on the line, but it wouldn't stay that way for long. 

Leading off the next frame, Red Sox first baseman Bobby Dalbec took a borderline pitch on 3-2 from right-hander Luis Cessa. It might've been a hair low, but that doesn't mean it sat well with the Yankees. 

Television cameras picked up players and coaches, like hitting coach Marcus Thames, screaming back at the umpiring crew. Second base umpire Bill Miller proceeded to toss Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza, sparking even more rage from those in pinstripes.

Asked if Miller gave a reason for why Mendoza was ejected, Boone said he did, but it wasn't a good one.

"Why Mendy was thrown out is absolutely ridiculous," he said.

Aaron Judge defended his coaches after the game, explaining that their fire from the dugout showed the type of heart this team has.

"Love it. We're fighting. That's heart. That's competitiveness. That's everything you want from a coach and our manager," Judge said. "We want every single pitch, we want every single win. That just shows me that they want the best for us. When something's not going our way, they're gonna stick up for us and say the things that need to be said that we can't obviously say."

From there, the Red Sox sucked the life out of Yankee Stadium one final time. A two-run single from Xander Bogaerts gave the visitors a commanding lead. Another rally from the Bombers in the bottom of the frame cut the deficit to one, but DJ LeMahieu grounded out to second to end the game.

This rivalry has swayed back and forth for decades. What happened on Sunday night in the Bronx, however, hadn't occurred since June of 2011. 

"That's not obviously what we want," said Boone, asked about snapping the decade-long drought. "I'm living in the moment, in the now, and it's about us getting right and whole and playing the way we're capable of playing. So, obviously, we're not there yet. And this can be the result when you're playing a good team."

At the moment, the Yankees find themselves hovering two games above .500 and in fourth place in the American League East. Losers of four straight, the Yankees are now 3-10 on the heels of a season-long six-game winning streak late last month. 

As has been the case lately, however, optimism didn't waver in the postgame press conferences. Judge said he and his teammates will build on this disappointing homestand, taking the positive at-bats and continuing to fight as New York embarks on a road trip starting in Minneapolis against the Twins. Boone emphasized the fact that while this was an "awful week," his club holds its own destiny and that there's a sense of urgency in the clubhouse as the Bombers search for results. 

It was catcher Gary Sánchez that demonstrated his confidence in this roster to turn a corner and play to their potential the best. 

"No, I'm not concerned at all. We're a really good team and I believe in my teammates, I believe in the talent that we have," Sánchez said through the team's interpreter. "I know we haven't played baseball and gotten the results we wanted. But I'm confident that we're definitely going to get over this hump here and we're going to start playing the baseball we want."

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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