NEW YORK (AP) — Jazz Chisholm Jr’s home run just inside the right-field foul pole ended a 30-inning scoreless streak for the New York Yankees.
It was hardly enough to end their massive slump at the plate.
After Chisholm homered in the second inning against the Los Angeles Angels, the Yankees saw their losing streak reach six games in a 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday when shortstop Anthony Volpe committed a throwing error in the eighth.
The Yankees are on their longest slide since losing nine straight Aug. 12-22, 2023. New York has scored six runs in the skid and is hitting .155 (30 for 194) with 59 strikeouts since its last victory on Thursday in Kansas City.
“Guys are making pitches,” said captain Aaron Judge, whose 2-for-25 slump has lowered his average to .366. “They’re doing their job. Sometimes they’re faltering, not doing our job, but it’s tough to say. I think it just comes down to us not executing, not doing our job, maybe a little passive in certain situations.”
Trailing 1-0, the Yankees ended their run-scoring drought when Chisholm sent a 2-0 pitch from Los Angeles starter Jack Konchanowicz into the seats in right field. The ball stayed just inside the foul pole and Chisholm, and his 10th homer of the season, was celebrated in the dugout with his teammates.
Chisholm’s homer was one of three hits for the Yankees, who were limited to three hits for the third time this season and first time since May 7.
“I felt like we got better swings off tonight,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Last night, we hit some balls on the screws.”
The run was New York’s first since Volpe hit an RBI groundout in the ninth inning of its 4-3 loss at Boston on Saturday.
It was the seventh-longest scoreless streak in team history and seven behind the team record set Sept 3-8, 1908 against Washington, when Walter Johnson pitched three straight complete games against the Yankees.
It was New York’s longest scoreless streak since going 33 innings without a run Sept. 22-25, 2016. The Yankees ended that streak when Didi Gregorius homered in the seventh inning at Toronto.
The last team to get blanked in four straight games was the Kansas City Royals, who were scoreless for 45 innings Aug. 24-29, 2017. The major league scoreless record is 48 innings, held by the 1968 Chicago Cubs and 1906 Philadelphia Athletics.
New York’s 4-0 loss on Tuesday marked the seventh time in team history it was blanked in three straight games, but only the third instance in the past 50 years.
Despite the recent struggles, the Yankees lead the AL with a plus-97 run differential. New York also leads the AL with 111 homers and 372 runs.
“Individually guys can go through it a little bit and the same thing goes for a team as a whole,” New York’s Ben Rice said. “Reality of it is we’re a really good team. We’ve got a great lineup and I’m sure we’ll dig ourselves out of it.”
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