The Yankees additional reward for taking the series against Toronto 2-1 was a day off on the 8th. This was mainly because of the timetabling issue of making sure that the Yankees had a game on 9/11 to enable appropriate commemorations of the dreadful events that took place on that day in 2001.

Tonight’s game was the first of three against the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers are ahead of the division in the American League Central and more wins helps them cruise towards the division title and clear of the second place Cleveland Guardians.

The game started at 7:10pm and the first batter for the Tigers, Colt Keith looked uncomfortable as he struck out swinging. Second up was Gleyber Torres, returning to the stadium where he was a regular until the end of last season. His ability to be a team player was one of the things that was undoubtedly a reason that he was not reacquired, but this hasn’t stopped the fans taking him to their hearts. He was cheered several times by the Yankees’ fans tonight. More crucially, he hit a ground-rule double (his twentieth double of the season) to settle everything down for Detroit. They couldn’t build on this with Kerry Carpenter hitting a very soft ground out to first baseman, Ben Rice who got Carpenter out as Will Warren, the Yankees pitcher, scooted over to cover first base and complete the out. Third out was Riley Greene who also struck out swinging.

So, Warren had two strikeouts already and the Yankees now had a little impetus to build upon. Trent Grisham struck out to dampen the enthusiasm, but it then seemed that the Yankees were going to take the game by the scruff of the neck.

Aaron Judge who is really returning to his best form, then took his moment to hit a homer to right centerfield. 1-0 to NYY.

Cody Bellinger was then instructed by the coaches to bunt. The bunt is not an art-form amongst this particular group of Yankees, and I was not surprised to see Bellinger ground out by hitting in an awkward fashion that Keith, at third could easily field and take the out by tossing the ball to Spencer Torkelson at first well ahead of the runner.

Ben Rice grounded out in more conventional fashion, hitting to Torres who threw over to Torkelson.

There was nothing for Toronto in the top of the second. First, Torkelson hit a soft popup to Anthony Volpe, and then Wenceel Perez on two strikes hit a foul tip to make it two outs. Third down was provided by Parker Meadows who hit a grounder towards Rice with Warren once more scurrying over to cover the base.

What Toronto was not aware of was that home run from Judge in the first was one of this Yankee line-up’s very few chances tonight. They seemed flaccid and ill set and consequently the game really was there for Detroit to take.

This was seen in the bottom of the inning with Giancarlo Stanton and Jazz Chisholm Jr striking out and Austin Wells hitting into a 4-3 grounder. Lifeless.

Detroit though didn’t seem to create chances, even though they had more energy and vigour. In the third, Dillon Dingler grounded out, Volpe to Rice. A dramatic moment did come when a great hit from Trey Sweeney was robbed at the wall by a great, accomplished catch by centerfielder, Trent Grisham. Another groundout came with Rice and Warren achieving their third ground ball combination of the night.

In the bottom of the third, much more of nothing for the Yankees – Volpe called out swinging, Ryan McMahon striking out swinging and Grisham hitting a fly out to Meadows in centerfield.

And more of the same for Detroit in the top of the 4th, Warren still hdsn’t given up a run yet and he dominated once more. Torres popped out to second. Carpenter flied out to centerfielder Grisham who was having an outstanding night in the field. Greene hit a fly to Judge which he took very cleanly.

The Yankees who would look dead in the water if only Detroit could get a run to square things, then surprisingly opened up a bigger lead. After Judge had flied out to Perez, it was Bellinger turn to hit a power homer, up into the second deck. 2-0

But other than these homers, the New York team had nothing to offer and Rice grounded out to Keith who thew it over to Torkelson, before Stanton popped out directly to Torkelson.

That name Torkelson featured again when Warren walked him to begin the fifth. Perez, then, hit one into leftfield only for Bellinger to gather the flyball safely. And then the ice began to break… Meadows hit a homerun into right centerfield which brought Torkelson home also.

2-2.

The Yankees had led for 4 innings but there was no question that the Tigers were far more convincing. However, if they were going to build on those runs, it would not be this inning. Dingler grounded out, Chisholm to Rice, and Sweeney struck out swinging.

In the bottom of the 5th, it looked for a moment like the Yankees might regain their lead. Chisholm hit safely to second for a single, and then Torres at second could only deflect Wells’ ground ball in the direction of Perez which allowed Chisholm to advance to second whilst Wells was safe at first.

As I have mentioned before the Yankees have need of practicing their bunting if they are going to use that device which can be oh so difficult to master. This time it was Volpe who tried to steer a ground ball down the third base line, only to see it pop up into foul territory and the third baseman Keith easily gather it into his glove.

Next, McMahon struck out swinging and then a sharp flyout from Grisham was scooped by Meadows in the middle of the outfield.

The 6th was no great cause for excitement either. It was merely a case of guessing wvich of the various kinds of outs the Tigers would achieve and whether the Yankees could do the necessary. The answers? Keith grounded out 5-3; Torres lined out to right; Carpenter struck out swinging.

Nothing interesting from the Yankees either – Judge called out on strikes, Bellinger out with his grounder going from Torres to Torkelson, and Rice was the second to be called out on strikes in the inning.

And then the ice that had cracked in the top of the fifth saw a huge hole open up where it had been. The 7th was the disaster that had been waiting to happen. Warren was the glue that had been holding it all together, and when they lifted him for Fernando Cruz, it all came apart. Greene hit a ground-rule double, Torkelson walked, Perez walked and the bases were loaded. Meadows moved it all along with a line drive in Judge’s direction to give the Tigers’ the lead. 3-2.

And then another walk as Dingler was also walked and Torkelson crossed home plate. Bases still loaded and now 4-2.

Cruz who has been so solid and dependable for most of the season, was having a dreadful time of it. The Yankees had no option but to replace him and the man coming in was Mark Leiter Jr who had been far less rock steady in some parts of the season.

And if it could be the case, he was indeed just as bad or worse. Sweeney hit a fly ball toward Volpe who deflected it, so it evaded Bellinger in left. Again, the single moved the runners around with Perez scoring. 5-2.

The Yankees were getting exasperated and it showed as Keith was hit by pitch by an errant pitch from Leiter. Still nobody out and 6-2.

Leiter wasn’t allowing hits, he was doing all the work for Detroit and Torres was the next to be walked. Dingler scored. 7-2.

But now at least the bases were no longer going to be loaded. Sadly, it was a wild pitch from Leiter Jr that made the gap at first, Sweeney scored and it was 8-2.

Yankees were now looking for inventive new ways to let Detroit score and the Leiter imagination decided to gift a triple right into the leftfield corner which Bellinger had to chase whilst Keith and Torres scored. 10-2.

It was now absolutely necessary that the Yankees drafted in a third pitcher for the inning. Cruz had been surprisingly bad, Leiter had been worse. And the name on the “Call from the bullpen” screen was Tim Hill. The hope was that his idiosyncratic characteristics might trouble the batters of the American Central division league leaders. And whilst it was way too late to turn things around, at least he could move the inning towards its end.

He got Greene to ground out directly to Rice. Peculiarly, the Yankees then decided to intentionally walk Torkelson to put runners on first and third. Perez then grounded into a force play which he hit toward Chisholm . Chisholm held on to the ball which meant that Torkelson was out, and Perez safe at first. Meantime, Carpenter scampered home and with two outs the Tigers led 11-2.

And it wasn’t over yet. Meadows hit a single towards which meant there were runners on first and second. A moment later, Dingler hit into a force out to McMahon which meant Perez was out at third, and finally, with a deep breath, the inning was over – and to all intents and purposes the game.

In the bottom of the 7th, the crushed Yankees looked, well, crushed. Everything WAS over and Stanton struck out swinging, Chisholm popped out to third and Wells flied out into left field and Detroit’s relief pitcher Casey Mize was off to a simple and straightforward start. Three up, three down.

In the 8th, the Yankees were so despondent and defeated they even took off Aaron Judge, replaced by Austin Slater, knowing that there was irrevocably no way back. Paul Blackburn came on to hopefully bring things to a fairly straightforward end. When you’re dying why prolong matters. He began well getting Sweeney to strike out swinging and getting the Umpire to call out Keith on strikes. Then, just to make things a little messier, Blackburn walked Torres. Torres was then lifted for pinch runner Andy Ibanez.

And why did they bother? When the Umpire called a throwing error on the next play, the Yankees bothered to challenge it. Inevitably (it was that kind of day), the Yankees lost the challenge. The play on the field was upheld. And McMahon gained an error in the appropriate column. Nothing much else changed.

That is until Greene hit a single which scored pinch runner, Ibanez and moved Carpenter to third. It should be noted that because of the preceding fielding error, this was not an earned run for Blackburn. 12-2.

Torkelson grounded out and the inning was over, and time was meaningless and just drifting away.

In the bottom of the 8th, the Yankees were making it easy for their opponents. Volpe was called out, McMahon struck out, and Grisham hit a flyball to Greene.

9th? A whole lot of nothing… There was a single for Dingler, but before this there was a pop out for Perez, and a line out to Bellinger for Meadows. Then, with Dingler on first, Sweeney swung wildly to strike out.

The Yankees had no hope and even less appetite or enthusiasm. Replacement rightfielder Slater was called out on strikes, Bellinger grounded out 5-3 and Rice hit a fly out to Greene in left.

They had opened the game looking like they expected to lose, but nobody ever wants to lose like this. The Yankees left the field, looking metaphorically bruised and battered. Maybe, tomorrow would be a different kind of day.