NEW YORK, NY — From San Francisco to Seattle, the New York Yankees continued their West Coast road trip Monday night and saw their unbeaten start to the 2026 season come to an end, falling 2-1 to the Mariners on a ninth inning walk-off single by Cal Raleigh.
In a tightly contested matchup in front of a crowd of 27,291 at T-Mobile Park that carried the feel of a potential postseason preview, pitching dominated early before late-inning heroics ultimately decided the outcome.
The Yankees (3-1) were held scoreless through six innings by Seattle’s right-hander Luis Castillo—a two-time LatinoMVP Starting Pitcher of the Year (2024: AL & 2020: NL)—who delivered six shutout frames while allowing just two hits and striking out seven.
Luis Castillo was named a LatinoMVP Starting Pitcher of the Year on two separate occasions throughout his career (2020 with the Reds and 2024 with the Mariners) – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
New York’s offense showed signs of life late but failed to capitalize in key moments, most notably in the ninth inning when Giancarlo Stanton doubled with one out, desperately trying to kick start the Bombers offense. Stanton, who finished 2-for-4 and has recorded multi-hit performances in each of his first four games this season, was left stranded as the Yankees were unable to push across the go-ahead run.
“That’s kind of how the night went offensively,” manager Aaron Boone said. “We had a hard time stringing things together.”
The game was also heavily influenced by the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system, which played a significant role throughout the night. The Yankees were successful on five of their challenges, overturning multiple calls from home plate umpire Mike Estabrook and extending several at-bats. Boone credited his players for their awareness in those moments.
“Really good job by the guys,” he said. “A couple of those came in big spots and gave us a chance to build something.”
Over the weekend, manager Aaron Boone credited the Yankees for coming out of spring training on a high note, sweeping the Giants in San Francisco – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
Making his Yankees debut, left-hander Ryan Weathers settled in after a shaky start to deliver an encouraging outing. After walking the first batter he faced, Weathers struck out seven over 4.1 innings, allowing just one run.
“I thought he got better as the game went on,” Boone said. “For his first outing with us, I thought he managed it well and gave us a chance to win.”
Seattle (3-2) struck first in the second inning on a broken-bat RBI single by Cole Young, marking the first time this season the Yankees had trailed in a game. New York responded in the seventh when Amed Rosario delivered a sacrifice fly to tie the contest at 1-1.
Amed Rosario, acquired by the Yankees in July of 2025 from the Nationals, has helped the club in various ways off the bench since his arrival – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
From there, both bullpens took control. Fernando Cruz escaped a critical jam with a pair of strikeouts, while Brent Headrick and Camilo Doval combined to keep Seattle off the board. The Yankees’ bullpen had not allowed a run all season until the ninth inning.
That streak ended when Paul Blackburn, pitching his second inning of relief, allowed a pair of ground-ball singles before Raleigh delivered the game-winning hit.
“I thought he threw the ball well,” Boone said of Blackburn. “They just found some holes.”
Despite the loss, the Yankees continue to showcase one of the better pitching staffs in all of MLB to start the season. However, Monday’s game highlighted a potential concern moving forward—timely hitting.
In a game defined by precision pitching, razor-thin margins, and the growing influence of ABS technology, the Yankees were left to reflect on missed opportunities that proved costly in their first defeat of the year.
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