The New York Yankees squandered a major opportunity Sunday night, losing 3-2 in extra innings against the Detroit Tigers.
Holding a 1-0 lead going into the bottom of the ninth inning of the Little League Classic in Williamsport, closer Clay Holmes blew his Major League Baseball-leading 10th save of the season.
Despite regaining a 2-1 lead from a DJ LeMahieu single in the top of the 10th inning, Yankees relief pitcher Mark Leiter Jr. surrendered two hits and two runs to the only two batters he faced.
Manager Aaron Boone spoke to reporters following the game, expressing his disappointment in Leiter's outing.
"With Leiter, just not real sharp," Boone said. "Fell behind, base hit up the middle, probably a fastball too much on the plate with both of them there so we've got to get him a little sharper right now."
While only one of the runs Leiter surrendered is charged as an earned run due to the second-base runner in extra innings, the struggles have been a common theme.
Acquired at the trade deadline in a deal with the Chicago Cubs, Leiter hasn't put it together since his arrival. The 33-year-old has a 6.48 ERA in 8.1 innings pitched across 10 games since joining the Yankees.
While it seemed he should have been in line for some positive regression considering his underlying metrics at the trade deadline, Leiter has gone in the complete opposite direction.
The sample size isn't large, but the Yankees need bullpen help in the worst way, and they may not have time to wait around for Leiter to fix his issues.
Either way, this is just another storyline to add to the concerning development of arguably the league's worst bullpen.
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