The frustrations of the Yankees’ latest spell carried out from the dugout onto the field Thursday night.
With the Yankees trailing the Rays, 5-3, in the top of the eighth inning, Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake was ejected by home plate umpire Edwin Moscoso.
Blake’s irritation poured over after Moscoso called two looking strikes against catcher Jose Trevino, who pinch-hit with one out and two runners on.
Trevino was ultimately punched out on the sixth pitch of the at-bat against Rays lefty Colin Poche on a pitch that appeared low and in.
The ejection marked the first of the season for Blake and his first since May 2023.
Yankee fans seemed to side with Blake instead of Moscoso, with one on X writing, “Umpires are awful at their jobs.”
Last season, Moscoso ejected Aaron Boone as the Yankees took on the Orioles in May.
After Trevino’s strikeout, shortstop Anthony Volpe walked, but center fielder Trent Grisham lofted a fly ball out into left field — stranding the bases loaded in a paramount spot.
The call, compounded with the mistake, amplified the Yankees’ struggles with traffic on the bases on Thursday.
While the Yankees earned a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Tampa Bay on Wednesday night, the franchise has gone a miserable 4-11 in their past 15 games.
As a result of this latest trough, the Bronx Bombers have surrendered the American League East division lead to the Orioles, moving into the top wild-card spot.
The Yankees ultimately lost, 5-4, to the Rays, dropping their third straight series and going eight straight without a win.
New York moved to 56-39 on the season and 15-18 against AL East competition.
The Yankees will look to right the ship against the Orioles, heading to Baltimore on Friday seeking to end the unofficial first half of the year on an optimistic note.