Aaron Judge homered, but the Yankees lost 6-1 to the Reds on June 24, 2025, after going 0-for-12 with RISP. Elly De La Cruz starred for Cincinnati.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
It was a night of what-ifs and wasted chances at the Stadium. Despite another mammoth home run from Aaron Judge, the Yankees' offense sputtered and stalled, leaving a dozen runners stranded in scoring position and handing the Cincinnati Reds a decisive 6-1 victory. It's a familiar, frustrating story for a team that can't seem to string together the big hits when they matter most.
0-for-12. That's the only stat you need to know about the Yankees' performance with runners in scoring position tonight.
The box score tells a baffling tale. Cody Bellinger racked up three hits, Jasson Domínguez singled, and the team put men on base. But when it came time to deliver the knockout blow, the bats turned to dust. The Yankees went a collective 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position, a display of offensive futility that has become a worrying trend. While the Yankees left the bases loaded with ghosts, the Reds' dynamic star Elly De La Cruz was a one-man wrecking crew, torching the Yanks with a homer, a triple, and three RBIs to single-handedly outproduce the entire Bronx Bombers lineup.
The lone bright spot in an otherwise bleak offensive night was, predictably, Aaron Judge. The captain launched his 28th home run of the season, a solo shot that briefly gave the Yankee faithful something to cheer about. It was Judge's fourth homer in his last 11 games against the Reds, and it further solidified his place atop the American League home run leaderboard. While his individual brilliance is always welcome, nights like this are a stark reminder that even Judge's MVP-caliber performance can't carry a slumping offense alone.
Making his Yankees debut, right-hander Allan Winans was thrown right into the fire. The newly called-up pitcher battled through 4.1 innings but was tagged for four runs, including a homer to Gavin Lux, ultimately taking the loss. It was a tough welcome to the Bronx for Winans, and it marked a rare off-night for the pitching staff. The four earned runs were just the second time the team has allowed more than three in 14 games, snapping a remarkable stretch where they'd posted a 1.99 ERA since June 10.
In the midst of the struggle, top prospect Jasson Domínguez continued to show flashes, starting the fifth inning with a single. The organization is banking on his development, and every solid at-bat is a positive sign for the future. But the future is one thing; the present is another. The Yankees desperately need to snap out of this funk, and they'll turn to one of their most reliable arms to do it.
All eyes now turn to Carlos Rodón. The lefty ace, boasting a 9-5 record and a stellar 3.10 ERA, will take the mound in the next game against the Reds. The mission is simple: get a shutdown performance on the mound and, for the love of all that is holy, get a clutch hit with runners on base. It's time for the offense to wake up and give their pitching staff the support it deserves.
