Romano falters once again as Yankees walk-off Angels for second time
Los Angeles Angels closer Jordan Romano fires a pitch in loss against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on April 15, 2026. For the second time in three games in the Bronx, the Los Angeles Angels fell to the New York Yankees in walk-off fashion, blowing a late lead in the ninth inning on Jackie Robinson Day, as the Angels lost 4-3. Pitching seemingly had things under control up until then on Wednesday night.
After a shaky start, Jack Kochanowicz held the Yankees scoreless after the third inning. The bullpen had backed him up. The Yankees had no answer until things unraveled in the ninth inning — which started with an error that won't even show in the stat sheet.
With one out in the ninth, closer Jordan Romano got Jazz Chisholm to pop up with two strikes, seemingly putting two outs on the board. Instead, miscommunication led to the ball landing between Oswald Peraza and Zach Neto on the left side of the infield. Things unraveled quickly.
A walk to follow the miscue led to Romano allowing a two-run single to Jose Caballero to seal the game, two batters later. Romano has been responsible for the blown save in each loss this series, the other coming on Monday night with a two-run lead. He had been untouchable until then, earning four saves and not allowing a hit or run in his first six outings of the year.
Wednesday’s abrupt finish put away Kochanowicz’s chances at a win, who dealt his way to a very efficient outing. Despite throwing 40 pitches and allowing three runs through the first two innings, he bounced back to pitch 6 ⅔ innings, striking out six Yankees in the process. Kochanowicz made the necessary adjustments to find cruise control.