Last game against the Colorado Rockies for the 2026 season. Let’s face it, the Rockies are going nowhere until next year, at the very least, and with the Yankees having the playoffs in their future, this is an important game to win in the hope we can close the gap on the Tampa Bay Rays, but New York winning the American League East division is a slim chance whatever the outcome.

The Yankees have won 83 games to this juncture, so there is no 100 game win season this year. They have done well, but there have been too few runs, and too many injuries. You look at their team with the absence of Aaron Judge being once again a factor and you wonder where the runs will come from – Judge is benched as the Yankees try to gently work him up to full fitness – but, hey, the Yankees can always surprise you.

The Yankees’ pitcher is Max Fried while Colorado will go with Ryan Feltner who has a 5-9 record so far this year. This was another evening game.

In the top of the 1st, Jake McCarthy grounded out in the direction of George Lombard Jr, who threw over to Luis Garcia Jr at first to complete matters. Next, Connor Norby was called out on strikes when Austin Wells challenged the 9th pitch which the umpire reckoned to be a ball (which would have meant a walk). Wells has a good eye for these things and the call was overturned resulting in that third strike. Wells now just needs to get pretty much every other element of his game sorted out and all will be well.

The third out came when Hunter Goodman was also struck out – but he was swinging at the time.

The Yankees came to life as soon as the bottom of the first. Ben Rice hit a single to rightfield, and despite Cody Bellinger striking out on a foul tip, Rice moved up to second on a wild pitch from Feltner. Jasson Dominguez, who was chosen to fill in for the rested Judge, was the second out, on a grounder to first base. The lively Rice took the opportunity to move up to third, which is where he was when Garcia hit a flyball over the centre field wall. Colorado 0 Yankees 2.

Then there was a single from Spencer Jones before George Lombard Jr grounded out to end the bottom of the 1st.

TJ Rumfield opened the second by striking out on a foul tip, and Cole Carrigg struck out swinging. The Rockies, though, were not inclined to give up all hope this early, and Kyle Karros hit a flyball homer to leftfield. Colorado 1 Yankees 2.

The third strikeout to complete the set came when Adael Amador struck out swinging, which with Wells failing to cleanly take the pitch, needed a throw over to Garcia at first.

The Yankees were determined to take this one by the scruff of the neck. Ryan McMahon singled to right field, Austin Wells was walked, before Anthony Volpe hit a single to left field to bring McMahon home with nobody out. Colorado 1 New York 3.

Rice grounded out, but a sacrifice from Bellinger brought Wells over home plate. Colorado 1 New York 4.

Volpe built on the impetus and stole third, but the rather limp Dominguez hit a flyout to left field and Jake McCarthy, and everything still emphasised how much the Yankees were missing Judge..

Fried then walked Jordan Beck but recovered by getting Ezequiel Tovar to fly out to Spencer Jones. McCarthy struck out swinging. A scoring opportunity reared it’s head when a throwing error by McMahon put Norby on first and allowed Beck to move up to third. But it was to come to nothing when Goodman hit into a 6-4 force out to move us into the bottom of the third.

It was three up, three down for the Yankees with Garcia hitting a fly out to left, Jones flying out to right, and Lombard grounding out 5-3.

There was a real surprise coming in the 4th. Rumfield was gifted a soft walk, but then after striking out Carrigg swinging, Fried watched Aaron Boone make his slow leisurely walk to the mound to claim the ball and Fried was replaced by Michael Fulmer. That’s one decision I still don’t understand. Fried wasn’t at his sharpest, but he still seemed to have plenty left in his tank, which could have been used to help the team – especially with the Yankees in a 3-1 lead.

But Fulmer was up to the task, striking out Karros, and getting Amador to ground out to an unassisted out by Garcia.

Now, however, the Yankees’ bats had fallen silent abd the lead didn’t seem that big. McMahon hit a simple pop up on third base side, Wells grounded out 3-1, and Volpe hit another ground out 6-3.

Fulmer’s outing became a brief one and he was replaced by John Schreiber, who has been efficient since joining the Yankees from Kansas City. With one out, Beck grounding out, Tovar hit a single, but it was a brief moment of things flowing in the opposite direction. McCarthy hit into a left field flyout and Norby struck out swinging.

With one out (Rice into centre field), Bellinger hit a double into right. Once more though, it came to nothing, Dominguez striking out and Garcia hitting a mild pop out into foul territory in first which Rumfield made look as easy as it truly was.

In the top of the 6th, Goodman hit a fly out into left field which Bellinger dealt with, with aplomb. The Yankees then decided it was time to make a pitching change with Ryan Yarbrough entering the fray. Yarbrough got Rumfield to ground out by hitting the pitch straight back to him and the play was completed by Garcia. The Rockies gave themselves another opportunity when Carrigg hit a double to left but once again the Yankees closed the chance down with another situation where Wells challenged a ball that had been called and Karros was called out on strikes when the decision was overturned.

With the Yankees turn to bat came a pitching change for Colorado and Zach Agnos took the mound. Straighaways, he began to struggle giving up a single to Jones. Agnos did have a brief recovery, striking out Lombard and getting McMahon to fly out to left. He then conceded a walk to Wells, which was followed by a single by Volpe to load the bases. But once again, nothing came of it with Rice flying out to centre field for the third out.

With Yarrbrough continuing at his labours, Amador was ground out 5-3. Second out was Beck lining out to Jones in centre. However, Yarbrough then gave up a walk to Tovar. The Yankees decided it was time to remove their pitcher for one of their most reliable 2026 guys, Brent Headrick.

The reliable pitchers don’t usually give up a triple to the first guy they face but this was how it was for Headrick with McCarthy speeding around the bases and Dominguez clumsy in right field. Colorado 2 New York 4.

If that made New York a little uncomfortable and made their fans wriggle in their seats, Headrick next giving up a walk to Norby didn’t help, but Headrick recovered sufficiently to get Goodman to fly out to Bellinger.

In the bottom of the 7th, the Yankees needed to put more runs on the board – and so they did. They started with a double from their main man Bellinger and then the Rockies gifted a soft walk to Dominguez. This was followed by a double steal to put those runners on second and third. In a slight reverse of fortunes, the first out came next with Garcia hitting a simple grounder to Rumfield.

But then came, a single to centre field for Jones which scored both runners and gave Jones the opportunity to advance to second on the throw. Colorado 2 New York 6.

With things looking less and less like Colorado might be able to reverse things, Lombard popped out to the shortstop (2nd out), only for Agnos to walk McMahon, and Jimmy Herget to come on in relief.

Sometimes changing things up doesn’t work. Herget followed the developing trend and walked Wells to load the bases. Then Volpe hit a home run with those bases loaded for a grand slam. Colorado 2 New York 10.

With Rice about to walk, Goodman challenged the 4th ball, and saw the call overturned on review and Rice was instead called out on strikes.

Now it was time for the Yankees to call the changes. Heliot Ramos replaced the exemplary Cody Bellinger and Luis Gil replaced Headrick. Things began with Rumfield flying out to Dominguez, but they were not going to stay that smooth. Zac Veen pinch hit for Carrigg and was walked. Despite the current score and Karros striking out swinging, the Rockies were not inclined to just lie down. Amador hit a single to centre field which was deflected by the right fielder Dominguez. In the malaise of the fielding which resulted, Veen scored and Amador advanced to second. On a difficult night for Dominguez, his was the error that ended up in that column. Colorado 3 New York 10.

After Beck popped out to foul territory, the Yankees took their turns at the plate.

Veen took over in left and McCarthy moved to centre. The Yankees had nothing to show this time up – but frankly they didn’t need to. Ramos grounded out, Dominguez (who was having a nightmare this evening) struck out swinging and Garcia also grounded out 4-3.

Ali Sanchez came into catch. Colorado, with nothing to gain, got a single from Tovar and another from McCarthy. Another pinch hitter was introduced in the form of Vimael Machin who replaced Norby in the lineup. He hit another single and loaded the bases with no outs. It seemed ridiculous to even think that Colorado could get back into it, but now they were in last chance saloon, hoping to be dealt a seven.

And… then nothing happened. Goodman hit a fly out to left. Rumsfield repeated to exercise but to centre… and then Veen, with great enthusiasm, struck out swinging.

And so, the Yankees had swept Colorado, three to nil. The first game showed how clumsy Colorado can be defensively, the second game showed the strength of the Yankees pitching, and finally we saw that they can sometimes score some runs.

Colorado 3 New York 10