Hours before the Yankees’ series-opener against the Twins, a reporter asked Aaron Boone about his team’s well-documented dominance over Minnesota.
“There’s that question,” the expecting manager initially replied. From there, his answer downplayed the fact that, no matter how good the Twins have been, the Yankees have had their number for a while now.
“They’re a really good team,” Boone continued. “That team we’re playing the next four days has a chance to be really good this year. They got a formidable rotation. They got a back end, they got star players. So I don’t even look at that at all.
“I understand the history of it going back, but every team’s a little bit different.”
Things were certainly different Thursday, as the first-place Twins turned the tables on the Yankees with a nine-run first inning and an 11-2 win in the Bronx. It was the first time the Yankees allowed nine-plus runs in the opening frame of a game since June 18, 2000, per statistician Katie Sharp.
Seven of those runs were charged to rookie right-hander Jhony Brito, who faced his first bit of adversity — and then some — after beginning his major league career with two strong starts. Brito entered the game with a 0.90 ERA over his first 10 innings. That number inflated to 6.75 by the time the 25-year-old exited for an early shower.
All in all, Brito allowed six hits, seven earned runs, one walk and one home run. He recorded just two outs as the Twins jumped on his sinker and fastball.
Right-hander Colten Brewer didn’t exactly stop the bleeding. The first man out of the pen surrendered five hits, four earned runs and three longballs over 3.1 innings of work.
Fellow righty Ian Hamilton had better luck, striking out six over three scoreless innings. So did super utility man Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who logged one scoreless inning in his first-ever pitching appearance after Jimmy Cordero did the same.
By the time those pitchers got in the game, it was far too late, however.
The Twins totaled 13 hits by the end of the night. No. 9 batter Michael Taylor smacked two home runs, while rookie Edouard Julien hit the first dinger of his career in his second at-bat of the first inning. Former Astro Carlos Correa, booed as he always is at Yankee Stadium, also went deep for Minnesota.
While the Twins’ lineup teed off on Thursday, Minnesota right-hander Joe Ryan stifled the Yankees’. The starter gave up just one run — a solo shot to Anthony Rizzo — while striking out 10 and walking none over seven innings of work. Ryan let up just three hits.
Rizzo added a second solo homer in the ninth. As part of the offensive silencing, Aaron Judge’s on-base streak ended at 45 consecutive games.
The Yankees will try to return to their winning ways against the Twins on Friday when Nestor Cortes takes the hill. The lefty pitched well in his first two starts of the season, limiting himself to three earned runs over 10.1 innings.
Right-handed Tyler Mahle, who owns a 4.09 ERA, is scheduled to start for the Twins.
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