Anthony Seigler was a Yankees first-round pick in 2018 -- 23rd overall, a switch-hitting catcher out of Georgia with as much upside as anyone the New York Yankees had drafted in that class. Plans were made. They didn't pan out, Seigler ended up in Boston, and Saturday at Fenway Park he took Gerrit Cole deep for the first home run of his major-league career.
That's the kind of afternoon it was. New York dropped Game 3 of this four-game series to the Red Sox, 4-1, and the losing streak is now three -- all at Fenway, all in this series. Five runs in three games against a club that entered the series 12.5 games back in the division.
The First Three Innings Did It
Cole had nothing early. Masataka Yoshida led off the Boston half of the 1st with a solo shot to right-center -- his 2nd homer of the season -- and the Yankees were already in a hole before they'd put bat to ball.
Then Seigler made it hurt a little more in the 2nd. His fly ball to left landed in the seats for his first career big-league home run, taken off Cole. (If that stings -- a former top Yankees prospect going deep off your ace for career homer No. 1 -- yeah, it should.) Back-to-back scoring half-innings for Boston, a pair of zeros for the visitors.
The 3rd inning closed the book on it. Yoshida and Ceddanne Rafaela hit back-to-back singles off Cole, and then Willson Contreras lined a sharp double to center that scored both runners. Four-nothing after three innings.
Cole went 5.1 innings: 7 hits, 4 earned runs, 2 home runs, 89 pitches, 5 strikeouts. The stuff was there. The location wasn't forgiving enough.
One Bright Spot: Schuemann
Max Schuemann gave the Yankees the only run that mattered in the top of the 5th, turning on a Jake Bennett fastball and putting it in the center-field seats for his first career home run as a Yankee. Made it 4-1 and briefly gave the lineup a moment that didn't feel like going through the motions.
He went 1-for-2 on the day. That home run was the entirety of New York's punch.
Bennett, for his part, was freakin' sharp all afternoon -- 6.1 innings, 3 hits, 1 earned run, 87 pitches, and part of a rotation that apparently just ran off 10 consecutive quality starts. (Boston's rotation has been that good since sometime around 1988, apparently, which doesn't make the Yankees feel any better about it.)
The 7th Inning, and Then It Was Over
The Yankees finally put something together in the top of the 7th. Amed Rosario led off with a single. Cody Bellinger -- who had two walks earlier in the game and had been one of the few Yankees making decent contact -- lined one through the middle off Bennett. Runners on first and second, nobody out, down three runs.
Then Jasson Dominguez struck out swinging. Then Jose Caballero took a called third strike, challenged it on the ABS automated system, had the call confirmed on review, and was out on strikes anyway. Then Jazz Chisholm came in as a pinch-hitter and struck out on three pitches.
Three straight strikeouts to kill the only threat of the afternoon. The Yankees left 4 on base all game, and that 7th inning was the only moment when this thing had a pulse.
Chapman Closes the Door
Aroldis Chapman worked the 9th inning for Boston and picked up his 16th save of the season. If the name sounds familiar, it's because Chapman was the Yankees' closer for most of 2016 through 2021 -- one of the most reliable late-inning arms the Bronx had during that stretch. Saturday he walked Bellinger to start the 9th, didn't blink, and finished it off.
It's just roster movement and time. But watching Chapman retire the Yankees to put a bow on a three-game Boston sweep bid, with Seigler's homer already in the books, made this particular 4-1 loss feel a little heavier than the number suggests.
Looking Ahead
The Yankees still lead the AL East at 48-34, half a game up on Tampa Bay heading into Sunday. But Game 4 is tomorrow at Fenway, and Boston's going for the series sweep before Detroit comes to the Bronx.
There's a longer conversation to have about what happened this series. Sunday's not the time for it -- it's the time to stop the bleeding.
Jimmy writes the Bronx Pinstripes game recap after every Yankees game. Beat-reporter pacing, fan's heartbeat. He calls opposing players by last name and has no patience for dead-air innings.
