BALTIMORE (AP) — First, Ryan Weathers lost his no-hit bid. Not long after that, the New York Yankees lost the lead.
And ultimately, they ended up with their fourth straight defeat.
Pitching for the first time since May 2 after a severe viral infection caused him to lose nine pounds, Weathers took a no-hitter and a 2-0 lead into the seventh inning against the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night.
Perhaps the last thing on the left-hander's mind was completing
the Yankees' first no-hitter since Domingo Germán threw a perfect game against the Athletics on June 28, 2023.
“To be honest with you, I had zero idea,” Weathers said afterward. “I was walking guys and stuff like that, so I guess it never really rang a bell with me what was going on.”
Truth is, Weathers issued only three walks. One to open the game, another in the fifth inning and the last in the seventh, which proved to be the last batter he faced.
After Adley Rutschman opened the seventh with a single up the middle to end Weathers' no-hit bid, Pete Alonso grounded out before Tyler O'Neill walked. Yankees manager Aaron Boone then summoned Brent Headrick from the bullpen, and Coby Mayo sent the lefty's third pitch into the left-field seats for a three-run homer.
Final score: Orioles 3, Yankees 2.
Weathers threw 101 pitches in his comeback from a virus that had him running a fever of 102 degrees.
"It's definitely been a (rough) couple of weeks, for sure," he said.
For the Yankees, it's been a difficult stretch after a 16-3 run that bolted them into first place in the AL East. During that streak, New York registered a four-game sweep of the Orioles by a combined 39-10 score.
On this night, however, the Yankees were beaten by the sub-.500 Orioles. And the final nail came with a decision by the replay room.
After pinch-runner José Caballero was called safe at second on an attempted steal with two outs in the ninth, the Orioles challenged the call. Turned out, second baseman Blaze Alexander made the tag after all, and the ruling was reversed — leaving New York with a particularly frustrating loss.
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