I don’t know if I can go so far as to say that any night is a good one when there is no Yankees game. But Monday tested that thesis. Two AL East rivals, Toronto and Boston, lost. Detroit went down to defeat in Minnesota. After a first-inning solo shot from Cal Raleigh, Seattle never again entered the run column, falling to Texas 2-1.
By 10:40 pm Eastern, the only question was whether the Colorado Rockies—who recently lent another Yankees assist by taking two of three from the Blue Jays—could hang
an L around the Astros’ necks and make this a perfect night to be a hater. You’d think a five-run lead with four innings to go should be safe but having watched a lot of Rockies baseball for the better part of a decade … it’s never over until it’s over. Houston charged back late, loading the bases in the eighth, but Colorado did yeoman’s work Monday night, holding on for a narrow win.
Toronto Blue Jays (4-6) 2, Los Angeles Dodgers (8-2) 14
The home crowd was ready for vengeance, despite the Jays coming into Monday night struggling. Toronto fans, remembering last year’s Fall Classic, were in full Boo Mode to start, serenading Shohei Ohtani and Kyle Tucker with derision in the top of the first inning. While the latter was not a Dodger last October, he did snub the Jays in free agency, as did Ohtani prior to signing with LA. Freddie Freeman, who’s previously represented the Great White North in the World Baseball Classic, received a much more gracious greeting.
Los Angeles jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first via a Teoscar Hernández two-run home run. The Jays got one back in the home half but the early story of the game was Max Scherzer. Mad Max’s velocity was down in the first and after two innings, the Jays pulled him; he was later diagnosed with “right forearm tendinitis.” Southpaw Josh Fletcher entered in relief and promptly gave up a two-run bomb of his own, this time to Freeman.
The Dodgers clubbed their third dinger of the night in the top of the sixth, a solo shot by Ohtani. They ended the night with five round trippers, a number that seems like it should usually guarantee victory. Ohtani’s made it 7-1 Dodgers as they continued to work over the Blue Jays bullpen in the series opener. Toronto will really need some length from its starting pitchers in the next couple games after two straight where their starter only went two innings. Los Angeles showed absolutely no mercy Monday either, running up a two-touchdown lead on the 2025 AL pennant winners.
Boston Red Sox (2-8) 6, Milwaukee Brewers (8-2) 8
Boston is another AL East club scuffling in the early going. So of course they jumped out to an early lead on the Brewers and Brandon Woodruff. Led by Trevor Story’s RBI single and sac fly, the BoSox had a 3-0 lead through three. Then they gave it all back. A Caleb Durbin error, two infield singles, and a bases-loaded walk to Yankee legend Jake Bauers gave the Brew Crew the lead. Alas, Woodruff couldn’t do anything right and promply allowed Boston to retake a 5-4 lead. To be fair to Woodruff, an error by his shortstop meant both runs were unearned. But still.
Milwaukee came back again, tying the game up at five runs apiece. And to Woodruff’s credit, after taking it on the chin, he stayed in and held Boston down, leaving after 5.2 innings with the Red Sox lineup turning over for a fourth time.
The game stayed tied until the eighth when the Brewers broke through against former Yankee farmhand and very good setup man Garrett Whitlock. Whitlock walked a pair to put ducks on the pond, though he managed to get two outs as well. But then Garrett Mitchell singled to left field. The go-ahead run scored easily. Roman Anthony’s throw to the plate was way off-line, allowing a second run to score and giving the Brew Crew a 7-5 lead. Boston tried to claw back and even brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth but ultimately dropped the series opener. You hate to see it.
Houston Astros (6-5) 7, Colorado Rockies (4-6) 9
I was originally going to go to this game and then stay up late doing the rivalry recap. Then, Houston starter Hunter Brown went on the IL, forcing Houston into a bullpen game. Accordingly, I will wait one more day to go boo Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa. Unsurprisingly, considering they’re playing the Rockies, Houston jumped out to an early lead with a two-run first inning. Altuve and Correa both doubled, with the latter’s driving in the game’s first run. Christian Walker, who’s picked up where he left off at the end of last year, drove in the second, his 12th RBI of the young season.
Cam Smith hit a solo home run to put the Astros up three early. But give the Rockies credit. They showed some moxie. A single and two walks loaded the bases in the home fifth with only one out. And Edouard Julien made Houston pay. A single to right field brought two runs home, pulling the Rox within one. Two batters later, Hunter Goodman singled to left, tying the game at three apiece. A Troy Johnston double off the second base bag gave the Rockies a 4-3 and then former Yankee farmhand TJ Rumfield, who’s off to a great start in Colorado, tripled to score two more. He later came across on a Willi Castro single. By the time the inning ended, Colorado sent 14 men to the plate and put an eight-spot in the run column.
These are the Rockies though. Houston continued to chip away, with lone runs in the sixth and seventh to close to within 9-5. In the eighth, they added two more and loaded the bases with two out for Altuve. Mercifully, the Astros second baseman hit into a fielder’s choice. The Rockies held their lead, three outs from a series-opening win. Stunningly, the ninth was bereft of drama and the Astros went down to defeat.
Seattle Mariners (4-7) 1, Texas Rangers (5-5) 2
This was the best pitching matchup of the Yankees’ rivalry games Monday night. Logan Gilbert, admittedly off to a slow start for Seattle, took the ball, facing two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom. Neither man disappointed. Cal Raleigh finally got off the schneid with a solo shot off deGrom in the top of the first, while Corey Seager got that run back in the home first with an RBI single.
From there though, both hurlers went into lockdown mode, exchanging zeroes in the run column into the sixth inning. After five frames and 78 pitches, Texas pulled deGrom and went to the bullpen and their array of relievers picked up where he’d left off. And in the home sixth, Texas broke through. With Seager on second after a single and a wild pitch, Jake Burger rapped an RBI single that brought Seager home and broke the deadlock.
Five Rangers relievers combined to throw four scoreless innings after deGrom departed. All told, Texas pitching held Seattle to two hits and two walks. You’re going to win a lot of games when the other team only manages four baserunners.
Detroit Tigers (4-6) 3, Minnesota Twins (4-6) 7
Most of the action in this one took place across two innings. The two clubs exchanged zeroes until the bottom of the third. Then, Minnesota put three runs on the board playing some small ball – with a sacrifice fly and two singles accounting for the Twins’ scoring. Detroit returned the favor, however, in the top of the fourth. Colt Keith doubled in one run and Zach McKinstry rapped a two-run single. It was a whole new ballgame.
Not for long though. In the home fourth, Luke Keaschall came to the dish with a man on. His drive to left field just snuck over the wall. His first home run of the season gave Minnesota a 5-3 lead. The Twins lead could well have been much larger as they loaded the bases in the second and fifth innings but stranded all those runners.
The Tigers had their chances to win this one. They put two runners on in the eighth with one out, giving them two chances with the go-ahead run at the plate. Neither Matt Vierling nor Yankee legend Jahmai Jones could get the job done though. In the botttom of the inning, Minnesota loaded the bases again via free passes, the fourth time on the night they’d packed the bases full. This time, they cashed in. A two-out, two-run single made it 7-3 Twins, all but sealing it.
