Sep 9, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Mark Leiter Jr. (56) reacts during the seventh inning against the Detroit Tigers at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Yankees Relievers Make Brutal History Against Tigers

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Erin Shapland | Last updated Sep 10, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The New York Yankees ' bullpen suffered an embarrassing implosion against the Detroit Tigers in their series opener, and made some unfortunate history with their abysmal seventh inning.

Fernando Cruz and Mark Leiter Jr., who took over a 2-2 game after six innings from Will Warren, gave up nine runs in their joint effort. They became the first two pitchers in the history of the organization to give up 4+ ER and get zero outs, per Katie Sharp of Stathead . Cruz gave up five and Leiter gave up four before Tim Hill came in to finish the inning.

Actually it is the first time in franchise history the Yankees had 2 PITCHERS allowed 4+ ER and get 0 outs in a game. (h/t @CharlieRGa) https://t.co/vyEEgmbP3X
— Katie Sharp (@SharpStats17) September 10, 2025

Yankees captain Aaron Judge responded with characteristic faith in his teammates — he knows what they can do at their best, and this was not their best. Judge made history of his own during the brutal beatdown, hitting his 359th career homer and overtaking Yogi Berra for fifth place on the Yankees' all-time home run list.

"It's just not going our way," Judge said. "Especially the guys they brought out of the bullpen, I trust every single one of those guys, they've gotten a lot of big outs for us, especially Cruzer and Leiter. But, it just didn't get done there and it kind of put us in a bad spot."

Cruz's ERA jumped one full run during the inning, in which he allowed five of the nine runs, from 2.66 at the beginning of the evening to 3.76. Leiter's jumped from 4.33 to 5.15.

The Tigers in the 7th inning:

14 batters
9 runs
5 hits
5 walks
1 HBP

Fernando Cruz's ERA rose from 2.66 to 3.76. Mark Leiter Jr.'s ERA rose from 4.33 to 5.15
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) September 10, 2025

The Yankees have struggled in relief all season, and made picking up reliable bullpen arms a primary deadline priority. It's clear they're still struggling to utilize their depth effectively, which fans point to as more evidence that Aaron Boone's management is the Yankees' fatal flaw.

“I was battling, obviously,” Cruz said after the game, h/t Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News. “There’s not a doubt, and there’s going to be those nights that we just need to forget, come back tomorrow and do the job."

“This is a sport that, as you see, is not as easy as it looks. Sometimes you’re on top of the horse. Sometimes you get out of it. So you learn how to get on top again. It’s just something that happens in baseball. You’re never bigger than the game, and you always learn from failures.”

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