The New York Yankees took advantage of a costly defensive mistake by the Los Angeles Angels in the ninth inning Wednesday night and rallied for a 5-4 victory at Yankee Stadium.
José Caballero delivered the winning hit with a two-run double after the Angels failed to secure a routine infield popup moments earlier. The Yankees turned the misplay into a dramatic comeback win and handed Los Angeles another painful late-inning loss.
The defeat spoiled another strong offensive night from Mike Trout, who continued his power surge with his fourth home run in three games. The Angels appeared positioned to even the series before defensive confusion and late bullpen struggles changed the outcome.
Angels Let Key Popup Drop
Los Angeles entered the ninth inning leading 4-3 and needing only three outs to secure the win.
Instead, a routine pop-up became the turning point of the game.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. lifted a high popup toward the left side of the infield with one out and nobody on base. Shortstop Zach Neto and third baseman Oswald Peraza both moved toward the ball, but neither player completed the catch.
The ball dropped harmlessly between them on the infield dirt, giving the Yankees an unexpected baserunner.
Neto immediately reacted in frustration after the miscommunication, knowing the mistake could become costly.
That moment quickly changed the energy inside Yankee Stadium.
Caballero Delivers Winning Hit
The Yankees immediately capitalized after the defensive mistake.
Austin Wells followed with a full-count walk against Angels closer Jordan Romano, placing two runners on base. Both runners broke on the pitch moments later when Caballero lined a sharp double into left-center field.
Chisholm scored easily to tie the game, and third-base coach Luis Rojas aggressively waved Wells home from first base.
The throw from the outfield reached the plate just behind Wells, who slid feetfirst across home plate. Replay review later confirmed the safe call, officially ending the game.
Caballero’s hit completed a comeback victory that seemed unlikely only minutes earlier.
The infielder also contributed defensively earlier in the game with a strong play at shortstop that helped preserve the tie before the ninth-inning rally.
Trout Continues Power Surge
Mike Trout remained the biggest offensive force in the game for Los Angeles.
The Angels star hit another two-run homer during the fifth inning to give Los Angeles a 4-3 lead. Trout has now homered four times across the first three games of the series and continues to look increasingly comfortable at the plate.
The veteran outfielder has shown renewed confidence after recent adjustments to his swing mechanics. His latest homer gave the Angels control midway through the game and continued an outstanding stretch against Yankees pitching.
Trout was not the only Angels hitter to contribute offensively.
Adam Frazier and Logan O’Hoppe each added solo home runs earlier in the game as Los Angeles erased an early three-run deficit.
For O’Hoppe, the moment carried extra significance. The catcher grew up on Long Island and hit his first career home run at Yankee Stadium in front of family and friends.
Judge Stays Hot For Yankees
Aaron Judge continued his own strong series with another home run during the first inning.
The Yankees captain drove an opposite-field solo shot into the right-field seats for his seventh home run of the season and his fourth homer in four games.
Judge has consistently produced offense throughout the series even as New York has struggled overall during recent weeks.
Trent Grisham also contributed with a two-run single that helped the Yankees build an early 3-0 lead.
Despite the fast start, New York’s offense struggled for several innings against Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz before finally breaking through in the ninth.
Romano Struggles Again Late
Jordan Romano endured another difficult outing for the Angels.
The closer suffered his second blown save and second loss of the series after allowing the Yankees’ winning rally in the ninth inning.
Earlier in the series, Romano also failed to protect a late lead during Los Angeles’ extra-inning loss Monday night.
Wednesday’s collapse became even more frustrating because the inning likely should have ended after Chisholm’s popup.
Instead, the defensive mistake extended the inning and opened the door for New York’s comeback.
Romano struggled to regain control afterward and eventually paid the price against an aggressive Yankees lineup.
Kochanowicz Gives Angels Strong Start
Despite the loss, Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz delivered an encouraging outing.
The right-hander worked 6 2/3 innings while allowing only four hits and striking out six batters. He navigated through early trouble after the Yankees scored three runs during the opening innings and settled into rhythm afterward.
Kochanowicz mixed pitches effectively and limited hard contact through the middle innings.
His performance gave Los Angeles an opportunity to secure an important road win before the late collapse erased the effort.
Yankees Searching For Consistency
The Yankees entered the game having lost five of their previous seven contests despite their strong start to the season.
Wednesday’s comeback victory provided a needed lift for a team searching for consistency both offensively and in late-game situations.
The lineup again relied heavily on Judge, but Caballero’s clutch hit and Wells’ aggressive baserunning helped New York finally close out a tight game successfully.
The Yankees also received an encouraging update after the game when manager Aaron Boone announced Gerrit Cole will begin a minor league rehab assignment Friday as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.
Up Next
The four-game series concludes Thursday afternoon at Yankee Stadium. New York is expected to start left-hander Max Fried, while the Angels have not yet announced a starter following Wednesday’s loss.
The Yankees will try to secure the series victory, while Los Angeles looks to recover quickly after another painful late-inning defeat.
