Twins Snap Skid Against Yankees Behind Joe Ryan’s Strong Start
NEW YORK, NY — Joe Ryan delivered a dominant performance on Wednesday night, leading the Minnesota Twins to a 4-1 victory over the New York Yankees and ending a nine-game losing streak against the Bronx Bombers.
Ryan (12-5) gave up just one run on four hits over 6 2/3 innings, striking out seven and walking two. The only blemish on his night was a solo homer by Cody Bellinger. Ryan set the tone early, firing his fastest pitch of the season — a 97.7 mph fastball — to strike out Aaron Judge in the first inning. Following Bellinger’s blast, Ryan retired the next four batters and allowed just two more baserunners the rest of the way.
Minnesota’s offense came alive in the sixth inning. After back-to-back infield singles by Byron Buxton and Luke Keaschall, Kody Clemens broke an 0-for-18 slump with a clutch two-run double. Clemens advanced to third on a fielding error by center fielder Trent Grisham and scored on Royce Lewis’s RBI double, capping a three-run inning.
Keaschall also drove in a run with a groundout earlier in the game, and the Twins finally notched their first win against New York since April 26, 2023.
The victory came on the same day Twins executive chair Joe Pohlad announced the family would retain principal ownership of the team, while welcoming two new investment groups.
Kody Funderburk struck out Austin Wells to end the seventh, and Justin Topa closed out the game with a six-out save, securing Minnesota’s five-hitter.
On the Yankees’ side, rookie right-hander Cam Schlitter impressed early, retiring the first nine batters he faced. He allowed one run and three hits over 5 1/3 innings before Minnesota broke through against relievers Yerry De Los Santos (0-1) and Mark Leiter Jr.
Up Next:
- The Twins return home Thursday night with Bailey Ober (4-7, 5.16 ERA) set to face Detroit’s Tarik Skubal (11-3, 2.35 ERA).
- The Yankees open a road series in St. Louis on Friday, with Luis Gil (0-1, 7.27 ERA) scheduled to start against Andre Pallante (6-9, 4.95 ERA).
