Inside this Yankees starter’s miserable slump to open 2026: ‘I’m getting there’
The Yankees have lost five in a row after being swept by the Rays in a weekend series at Tropicana Field.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Holding his batting helmet in his left hand, Ryan McMahon stood alone near where the infield ends and right field grass begins after running out a game-ending grounder to first base.
With a look of dejection, the Yankees ’ slump-ridden third baseman started his walk of shame back to the third-base dugout. He moved slowly and looked around thinking about what went wrong this time. A hit would have tied a game that the Yankees trailed since the first inning.
Instead, the Rays hung on for a 5-4 victory on Sunday for a weekend sweep of the Yankees, who have dropped five in a row to fall into a three-way tie for first place in the AL East at 8-7. McMahon, who is batting . 114 with four hits, two RBI and 15 strikeouts in 42 plate appearances, took this failure hard.
“It’s easier to go through your struggles when the team’s winning,” he said. “You feel it a little bit stronger when the team’s on a bad skid. ” Two Yankees runs were in on a homer by Aaron Judge and the tying run was on second base after a two-out double by Amed Rosario.