The New York Yankees suffered a dramatic bullpen collapse on Monday night at Yankee Stadium, watching a thrilling seven-run comeback vanish in an instant during a 13-7 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, as reported by Pinstripe Alley and the New York Post.
Reliever Angel Chivilli entered in the top of the eighth inning with a runner on third base and no outs following a leadoff triple by Cardinals pinch-hitter Blaze Jordan off Ryan Yarbrough. Chivilli, who had not surrendered an earned run since his recall from the minor leagues, proceeded to yield a walk, a three-run home run to Nathan Church, a single, a two-run homer to Jimmy Crooks, and another two-run home run to Alec Burleson without recording a single out before being removed.
Meltdown in the Eighth Inning
Chivilli’s outing abruptly destroyed what had briefly looked like one of the Yankees’ most inspiring comeback victories of the 2026 Major League Baseball season. Entering the eighth inning with a 7-6 lead, New York saw St. Louis send seven runs across the plate before the Yankee bullpen could secure a single out.
The catastrophic frame began when Chivilli walked his first batter, putting runners on the corners. Church then crushed a three-run home run over the wall to immediately reclaim the lead for St. Louis at 9-7. After allowing another single, Chivilli served up a two-run home run to catcher Jimmy Crooks, expanding the deficit to 11-7. Burleson then capped his dominant individual performance by launching his third two-run home run of the game, sealing the final 13-7 margin.
Manager Aaron Boone defended his bullpen after the game, emphasizing the workload demand during a dense stretch of games. “I feel really good about the pen,” Boone said, according to the New York Post. “You’re gonna have an occasional night like this. Part of this is the stretch we’re in.”
The Seven-Run Comeback and García’s Debut Blast
The collapse rendered irrelevant a spirited offensive rally that had temporarily energized the Yankee Stadium crowd. Down 6-0 through four innings, New York began chipping away in the bottom of the fifth. Catcher Austin Wells hit a two-run home run off Cardinals starter Michael McGreevy, followed immediately by a solo home run from Trent Grisham off reliever Justin Bruihl to cut the deficit to 6-3.
In the seventh inning, the Yankees erased the remaining deficit with additional power. Back-to-back solo home runs from Ryan McMahon and José Caballero off Ryne Stanek brought New York within one run. After a Grisham double chased Stanek, newcomer Luis García Jr.—acquired ahead of the trade deadline—slashed a changeup from George Soriano into the bullpen for a go-ahead, two-run home run, giving New York a 7-6 lead.
Schlittler’s Early Struggles and Roster Context
The night began poorly for New York behind starter Cam Schlittler, who endured his shortest outing of the 2026 season. Schlittler yielded four runs over three innings, walking five batters and throwing 82 pitches as St. Louis built an early foundation. Burleson opened the scoring with a first-inning two-run homer and added another two-run shot off reliever Tim Hill in the fourth inning.
The loss came amid continuing roster adjustments for General Manager Brian Cashman’s squad. While New York missed out on adding catchers at the deadline, the team expects further reinforcements on Tuesday, welcoming outfielder Heliot Ramos from the San Francisco Giants trade and calling up top shortstop prospect George Lombard Jr. Left-hander Ryan Weathers is scheduled to take the mound for the Yankees in the second game of the series.