The Colorado Rockies hung around at Yankee Stadium for most of Thursday night, battling, clawing. But then the seventh inning hit like a freight train, and it was Anthony Volpe who delivered the knockout blow. Colorado had just pulled within two runs, making it a tight game, before the Yankees exploded for six runs in the bottom half. That outburst, capped by Volpe’s grand slam, turned what felt like a competitive matchup into a brutal 10-3 rout, completing a three-game sweep.
Feltner’s Jekyll and Hyde Act on the Mound
For much of the night, Rockies pitcher Ryan Feltner’s outing was a tale of two halves. His first two innings were a total mess, looking like another short night was coming. Ben Rice started the first with a single, moved on a wild pitch, and then Luis García Jr. crushed a two-out changeup for his 30th home run of the season. The second inning wasn’t much better, with Ryan McMahon singling, Austin Wells walking, and Volpe flicking an inside fastball into left to score McMahon. A groundout and a Cody Bellinger sacrifice fly stretched the lead to 4-1. Feltner needed 46 pitches just to get through those two frames.
Then, things almost abruptly shifted. Feltner found his groove, working a quick nine-pitch third inning and following it with another clean fourth. After Volpe’s RBI single in the second, Feltner retired ten consecutive Yankees before Bellinger broke the streak with a double in the fifth. That double almost became an out, too, as Jordan Beck tracked it to the wall, caught it, but his collision knocked it loose. Feltner still made that play matter, striking out Jasson Domínguez and getting García to pop out, ending his night by retiring twelve of his final thirteen hitters. His final line of 5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K looks pretty standard, but it masks the wild ride he gave everyone. His fastball was a tick below his season average at 93.9 mph and got hit hard when it found the zone, but his changeup and slider were working, especially the slider which generated three whiffs and avoided hard contact.
The Hammer Falls: Volpe’s Crushing Blow
Despite Feltner settling in, the damage was done. The Yankees had grabbed an early lead and, even with Colorado finding small openings, New York was just waiting to put the game away. They finally did in a huge way. With the Rockies having scratched their way back to within two runs, the bottom of the seventh became an absolute nightmare for Colorado. The Yankees piled on six more runs, and it was Volpe, recently recalled to the big club, who delivered the ultimate gut punch. His grand slam capped the scoring and instantly turned a close contest into a blowout.
This sweep drops the Rockies to a brutal 55-91 on the season, while the Yankees improved their record to 84-62. John Schreiber earned the win for the Yankees, while Feltner fell to 5-10. You gotta wonder how much more of this kind of late-game collapse Colorado can take. For the Rockies, it’s about finding a way to finish strong; for the Yankees, it’s just another statement win.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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