The Yankees’ lead slipped away in a dramatic eighth inning as an 8-7 loss to the Astros left fans stunned at Daikin Park on Wednesday night. The chaotic inning saw reliever Devin Williams and manager Aaron Boone ejected, as the Astros scored key runs to turn the game around.
Through the first five innings, Yankees starter Will Warren held the Astros to just one run. The team led 4-1 before Jeremy Peña’s leadoff home run in the sixth forced Warren from the mound. The Astros added another run in the sixth and one more in the seventh, setting the stage for a pivotal eighth inning.
The inning began with Carlos Correa hitting a double off Williams. Williams then walked Jesús Sánchez, struck out Yainer Diaz, walked Christian Walker, and struck out Ramón Urías. Taylor Trammell drew a five-pitch walk, giving the Astros a 5-4 lead and triggering the ejections.
Williams expressed frustration over several strike calls. “When you’re making good pitches, not getting those calls changes an at-bat,” he said. He noted two missed strikes on Sánchez that could have put him behind 0-2 instead of 2-1. Williams also disagreed with a call during Trammell’s plate appearance, which should have been counted as a strike to change the count from 2-0 to 2-2.
Trammell’s walk put the Astros ahead, prompting the umpire to eject both Williams and Boone. Boone replaced Williams with Camilo Doval, who immediately faced trouble as Peña singled and two more runs scored on a balk and a wild pitch. Every run mattered when Cody Bellinger hit a three-run homer off Bryan Abreu in the ninth inning, giving New York a final score of 8-7.
Boone reflected on the loss calmly despite the ejections. “It was a tough inning. Devin was throwing well. They just put together some really good at-bats,” Boone said. He noted that the Yankees had multiple chances to extend their lead but the Astros capitalized on competitive at-bats in the later innings.
Catcher Austin Wells confirmed that the strike zone seemed inconsistent throughout the game. “Devin had the right to be frustrated. Some calls could have gone our way,” Wells said. He contributed to the Yankees’ offense with a two-run homer and two doubles, adding that the team plans to keep following their game plan despite setbacks.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. also voiced his frustration with the strike zone after Cody Bellinger’s two-out homer in the ninth. A disputed full-count strike ended the game, keeping the Yankees 3.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East.
Williams summed up the sentiment for the team: “It’s just ridiculous. Jazz got the pitch taken out of his hands on a pitch further from the zone than any I was throwing.” Despite the late-game collapse, the Yankees remain focused on bouncing back in upcoming games.
The eighth inning highlighted both the intensity of competition and the role of umpiring decisions in tight contests. The Yankees now face the challenge of regrouping after a night that saw a solid lead evaporate in just one inning.
