Yankees facing elimination after error-filled Game 2 loss - ESPN

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The New York Yankees knew the unique challenge the Tampa Bay Rays presented going into their American League Division Series. The Yankees played 13 games during the regular season, when they were unable to chase down the Rays for the AL East title, and emphasized one point above all: Clean baseball was required to beat their division rivals three times in five games.

What transpired in their 5-2 loss in Game 2 on Monday, however, was a slopfest that the Rays devoured. The Yankees committed four errors, including three in the first inning, among other miscues in a shocking display reminiscent of their collapse in Game 5 of the 2024 World Series. Unable to generate enough offense to overcome the blunders, the Yankees will head home for Game 3 on Wednesday down 2-0 and facing elimination.

«I feel like we beat ourselves today in a lot of ways,» Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. said. «We've just got to lock it in and go do our thing. Come together.»

The mercurial Chisholm was in the middle of the first-inning disaster that the Yankees' defense forced ace Cam Schlittler to navigate inside a frenzied, sold-out Tropicana Field. The miscues began with third baseman Ryan McMahon, who was in the lineup for his defense, flubbing a routine ground ball off the bat of Rays leadoff hitter Yandy Diaz. Jonathan Aranda followed with a single through the left side, just beyond a shifted McMahon, to give Tampa runners on first and second.

Moments later, Schlittler had seemingly won a seven-pitch battle against MVP candidate Junior Caminero by getting him to hit a ground ball to the left side of rookie shortstop George Lombard Jr., who fielded it and flipped the ball to Chisholm for the sure out. Chisholm