The New York Yankees came home from a road trip that left more than one bruise. They went 2-7 through Milwaukee, Baltimore, and Queens. They dropped three straight series. Four of the seven losses came by one run, and Sunday’s Subway Series finale may have been the most painful of the group.
The Yankees had a 6-3 lead at Citi Field. They were one out away from taking the series. Then Tyrone Taylor hit a game-tying three-run homer off David Bednar in the ninth, and Carson Benge ended it in the 10th after Anthony Volpe and Max Schuemann collided chasing a ground ball.
After the 7-6 loss, Aaron Judge was asked the question that had to be asked.
Had the Yankees lost any confidence in the bullpen?
Judge’s Comments on Yankees Bullpen
Judge did not hesitate.
“Not at all,” Judge said.
The concern was understandable. Bednar had just blown a save in brutal fashion, and it came one week after he gave up another walk-off homer in Milwaukee. The Yankees’ bullpen has been asked to protect too many thin margins lately, and this road trip exposed how quickly those margins can disappear.
Judge still made clear he was not turning on the group.
“I don’t know, we’ve had quite a few guys coming in in some big spots for us…I’ve got a lot of confidence in the guys, especially in the back end,” Judge said.
Judge knows the Yankees have needed their bullpen all season. He also knows one rough road trip cannot become the thing that defines the group. If this team is going where it wants to go, the late-inning arms will have to be part of it.
GettyTORONTO, ON – JULY 23: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees reacts in the dugout after hitting a 2 run home run in the sixth inning during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on July 23, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
Yankees Road Trip Ended in Brutal Fashion
The Yankees had chances to put the game away before the ninth inning ever arrived. They stranded 10 runners and went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
Bednar allowed two singles to begin the ninth, recovered to get two outs, then left a curveball where Taylor could do damage. The Mets man did not miss it, sending the game-tying homer down the left-field line.
The 10th was just as cruel.
With the Yankees using a five-man infield, Benge hit a chopper into an awkward pocket between Volpe and Schuemann. Both players attacked it. Both wanted the ball. They collided, and the winning run scored without a throw.
It was one play, but it landed like the final frustration of a road trip full of them.
Close enough to win. Not clean enough to finish.
GettyNEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 17: Carson Benge #3 of the New York Mets follows through on his tenth inning game-winning fielder’s choice against the New York Yankees at Citi Field on May 17, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Final Word for New York
Judge’s answer was exactly what the Yankees needed publicly.
The road trip was ugly. Bednar has had two straight brutal Sundays. The Yankees have missed too many chances with runners on base, and now they return home with the Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays waiting.
The schedule does not offer a soft landing. New York has been good enough for most of the season because different parts of the roster have held up at different times. One bad trip does not erase that.
It does raise the stakes. The Yankees still trust their bullpen.
Now the bullpen has to reward that trust.
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