In a game that felt like a no-win proposition, the New York Yankees were handed a jarring defeat by the Colorado Rockies, the worst team in baseball by record. Friday night’s 3-2 loss at Coors Field not only ended the Yankees’ momentum but underscored the volatility of a 162-game season, where even the most lopsided matchups offer no guarantees.
A lose-lose scenario becomes reality
Heading into Friday’s matchup, the stakes seemed absurdly unbalanced. The Yankees, surging with 11 wins in their last 14 games, faced a Rockies team mired in historic futility. At 8-42, Colorado had the worst 50-game start in the modern era, while the Yankees, standing at 30-20, were eyeing another series sweep. On paper, the result felt inevitable.
But baseball, as ever, resists narratives. In front of a spirited crowd of over 47,000 at Coors Field, the Yankees faltered. A 3-2 loss to a team with just nine wins stunned not just fans but players as well. Clarke Schmidt, tagged with all three runs over 4 2/3 innings, was blunt postgame: “Anytime you lose, we’re pissed off,” he said. “Nights like this where you don’t perform… it pisses you off.”
Adding sting to the result, according to Elias Sports Bureau, was the fact that this game featured the second-largest winning percentage disparity for any matchup 50 games into a season during the expansion era.
A rare miss from the mound
Clarke Schmidt, who had thrown at least six innings in each of his previous three starts, labored through high pitch counts and diminished command. Coors Field’s high altitude played a role, with Schmidt noting the difficulty in commanding his sinker — usually a key pitch in his arsenal. Without it, he leaned more on his cutter and sweeper, but the adjustment came with inconsistent results.
After recording two quick outs in the fifth, Schmidt surrendered back-to-back singles to Ezequiel Tovar and Hunter Goodman. Manager Aaron Boone summoned left-hander Tim Hill to face Ryan McMahon, a lefty batter who entered the game with just three singles in 35 at-bats against left-handed pitching. But McMahon flipped the script, smashing a two-run double off the center-field wall to give the Rockies a 3-2 lead.
“That was the difference today,” Boone acknowledged. “You don’t usually see lefties elevate the ball like that off Hill, but he put a great swing on it.”
Offense goes cold after early spark
The Yankees’ offense struck first, with Aaron Judge making an immediate impact in his first game at Coors Field. A single in the first and a solo home run in the fifth — his 17th of the season — temporarily gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead. Paul Goldschmidt also contributed with an RBI triple in the opening frame.
But from that point on, the Yankees’ bats were quiet. They managed just two walks over the final four innings and couldn’t muster another threat. Rockies starter Tanner Gordon gave them little to work with over six innings, and the bullpen trio of Jake Bird, Seth Halvorsen, and Zach Agnos shut the door without incident.
Even moments that hinted at a rally were snuffed out. Boone pointed to a sharply hit grounder by Austin Wells that turned into a slick double play by second baseman Adael Amador — a moment symbolic of how the Rockies brought their best game of the season when few expected it. “They beat us tonight,” Boone said. “Our focus was good, but we didn’t get the hit to break an inning open. It’s going to happen.”
A reality check, but not a disaster
Friday’s loss won’t derail the Yankees’ season, but it serves as a reminder of the grind and unpredictability of baseball. While the Rockies are far from playoff contention, no team — no matter how poor their record — can be taken lightly over nine innings. Tim Hill, visibly frustrated with his recent command issues, spoke to the broader lesson: “Those guys are professionals, just the same. Just losing a game in general is never good, especially when you have such a big part in it.”
For now, the Yankees will look to rebound over the weekend in Denver. But with the Knicks reeling on the East Coast and the Yankees slipping out West, New York fans may be in for a long weekend. As Schmidt put it plainly, “I just didn’t do my job tonight.” In baseball, that’s sometimes all it takes.
