Sep 19, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; New York Yankees third baseman Amed Rosario (14) cannot field the ball during the seventh inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Yankees Division Dreams Bit by Recurring Issue

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Joseph Randazzo | Last updated Sep 20, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The New York Yankees had an opportunity to make noise in the American League East. The Toronto Blue Jays jumped on the board early with a George Springer homer, but were thrashed 20-1 at the hands of the Kansas City Royals.

Despite the Blue Jays finding themselves in a compromised position, the Yankees failed to capitalize on the opportunity. They were shut down by Trevor Rogers, against whom few teams have managed to score. However, what ultimately did them in was not a surprisingly elite starter who emerged in 2025, but a slew of errors in the sixth.

This has been the story of these Yankees in recent years, and their sloppy glove work has come to bite them again.

Warren, who kept the Yankees in the game, pitching 5.1 IP with one earned run, but whose costly error was the deciding factor, was down on himself after the game. He failed to field a ground ball hit toward him cleanly.

Will Warren couldn't come up with the play pic.twitter.com/TKgc2Pletm
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) September 20, 2025

“Probably the worst play I’ve ever made in my life,” Warren was quoted as saying in Newsday to Erik Boland. “A bit embarrassing. Basically, gifted them a run. Jazz gets the two-run bomb, and it would have been a tie game if I make that play. It’s never good when we lose, especially at the point of the season we’re at now.”

The Warren gaffe was then followed up by Jazz Chisholm Jr. tossing a ball from his glove to Paul Goldschmidt, missing him by a foot. The costly blunder put runners in scoring position despite a ball not leaving the infield.

Now an E4 from Jazz and Baltimore has runners on second and third with no outs pic.twitter.com/lCs8xjOlTQ
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) September 20, 2025

Manager Aaron Boone spoke on the loss as well.

“Every time you lose, it sucks. Every time you win, it feels good,” Aaron Boone said. “We’re working to shake hands and put ourselves in the best possible position heading down the stretch here. It’s a tough one tonight, obviously. We got a good outing from Rogers against us to hold us down, weren’t able to mount enough. But it’s on to the next one.”

The Yankees lost 4-2, and in the ninth inning, they went down without much of a fight. Keegin Akin made light work of the middle of the Yankee order, cutting them down with a wicked slider, one after another. Amed Rosario, whose double put the Yankees up early the night before, went down with a whimper. He hit a lethargic 77.2 MPH flyout to Colton Cowser in one pitch. Austin Slater struck out on a slider at his shoe next. It only took Akin three pitches.

Then Chisholm, who saw a combined five pitches, which were more than Rosario and Slater saw in the previous two at-bats, only put up a slightly more competitive at-bat. He, too, struck out on a slider. This one was well off the plate.

The opportunity for the Yankees to be two games behind the Blue Jays was squandered. An ugly loss by Toronto, which saw the first-place Jays give up 20 unanswered runs, was not taken advantage of, and those division dreams are dwindling for the Bombers.

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