Brett Gardner's walk-off single in 11th beats Mariners
Brett Gardner of the Yankees celebrates his 11th-inning game-winning base hit against the Mariners with teammate Gleyber Torres and Albert Abreu at Yankee Stadium on Friday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The attendance on Friday night at Yankee Stadium was 43,180, the largest gathering the Yankees have played in front of in any venue since 2019.
They saw a heck of a game. And a heck of a finish.
The Yankees were one inning away from losing when they tied the score in the eighth on Aaron Judge's sacrifice fly.
They were one out away from losing when they tied the score in the 10th on Giancarlo Stanton's single.
Finally, Brett Gardner singled home the winning run in the bottom of the 11th as the Yankees beat the Mariners, 3-2.
With one out and ghost runner Joey Gallo on second in the 11th, Rougned Odor drew an intentional walk and Kyle Higashioka struck out. Then, on a 2-and-2 pitch with two outs and two men on base in a 2-2 game, Gardner lined a single to centerfield to win it. Gallo scored standing up as Jarred Kelenic's throw home was wide.
"It definitely is something that never gets old," said Gardner, who had two runs scored and an RBI despite playing only the last four innings. "This place is special, obviously, any time we're at home and it's a walk-off in the bottom of the inning. Our fans, the atmosphere that they create out there, second to none, and to be able to play in front of them, I've obviously been spoiled for my career to call this place home. To be able to come through in that spot, like I said, in what feels like such a big game for early August, that'll never get old, for sure."
It was Gardner's ninth career walk-off hit and first since 2017. "You know he's going to be so important for us moving forward," Aaron Boone said. "Needless to say, he's so revered and respected in there. So I think that even makes this one a little extra-special. I know that that room is really excited about that."
The Yankees have won four in a row, seven of eight and 19 of 27 to move 11 games over .500 for the first time this season. It was their eighth walk-off victory of the year.
They are three games behind the Red Sox (two in the loss column) for the first wild card and 1 1/2 games behind the Athletics (one in the loss column) for the second wild card. They also are 5 1/2 games behind the AL East-leading Rays.
"Definitely felt good to be able to come through," Gardner said. "I feel like every game now has kind of got that must-win kind of atmosphere. We kind of take that kind of attitude into each and every game now with the hole that we've dug for ourselves and the amount of season that we have left and where we are in the standings. Definitely a good moment for me, a good moment for us to be able to come through in that spot for the guys and pull one out."
The Yankees featured nine pitchers in a bullpen game that was started by opener Wandy Peralta. That’s the most pitchers they have ever used in a non-September game.
The winning pitcher was Albert Abreu (1-0), who didn’t allow a run despite starting the 11th with the ghost runner on second.
Seattle took a 1-0 lead in the sixth on Abraham Toro's two-out RBI single off Lucas Luetge.
The Yankees were shut out for 6 2/3 innings by lefthander Marco Gonzales, and Joe Smith got the last out of the seventh.
In the eighth, Gardner walked as a pinch hitter, DJ LeMahieu walked and Diego Castillo hit Anthony Rizzo with a 1-and-0 pitch to load the bases with none out. Judge sent a vicious liner to left for a sacrifice fly to tie the score, but Stanton bounced the next pitch to short for an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play.
J.P. Crawford drove in the ghost runner in the top of the 10th with a leadoff single to right off Chad Green.
Stanton tied it back up by flaring a two-out single to right in the bottom half.
For his first career start after 242 relief appearances, Peralta did what felt natural. He walked in from the bullpen for the top of the first as if he were making a relief appearance.
Peralta, in his first appearance off the COVID-19 list, was Boone’s choice to open Friday’s game because two of the top three hitters in Seattle’s lineup bat lefthanded.
Peralta made Boone look like a genius as he retired the Mariners on 11 pitches in the first.
Ground ball, ground ball, strikeout, and Peralta was able to come out again for the second inning.
From the dugout this time.
Peralta picked up two more outs in the second but also allowed a pair of singles. Peralta, whose season high in pitches was 28, hadn’t pitched since July 8. He was removed after Luis Torrens’ two-out single on pitch No. 26 put runners on first and second.
Boone called on Long Island’s own Stephen Ridings (St. Anthony’s) to face former Mets prospect Kelenic in Ridings’ second big-league appearance.
Ridings got Kelenic to ground out to second to end the inning and retired the Mariners in order in the third on two groundouts and a pop fly to center to complete his second successful outing.
In his debut on Tuesday, the hard-throwing Ridings struck out three in a scoreless inning.
The Yankees are playing through a period in which 60% of their rotation is on the shelf. Ace Gerrit Cole and lefthander Jordan Montgomery are on the COVID list. Domingo German is on the injured list with a rotator cuff strain.
That leaves Jameson Taillon as the last man standing from the Opening Day rotation. He is joined for the moment by Nestor Cortes, who pitched on Thursday; lefthander Andrew Heaney, who will make his second Yankees start on Saturday after giving up four solo homers to the Orioles on Monday, and rookie Luis Gil, who will make his second career start on Sunday after throwing six shutout innings in his debut.
Anthony Rieber covers sports media and business and professional sports (you know, games and trades and things). He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since Jan. 1, 2026.
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