New York Yankees reliever Fernando Cruz called their bullpen the league’s best. He praised the unit’s depth and said their belief gave the team hope. However, his bold statement came just days before disaster struck. It became the night Fernando Cruz’s words came back to haunt New York. Soon after, the Tigers punished the Yankees, and the American League interdivision showdown spiraled into a nightmare.

In the seventh inning, Fernando Cruz entered a tight game with the score locked at two. Almost immediately, he unraveled. He allowed multiple hits and issued walks without recording a single out. As a result, the Tigers erupted for nine runs in one crushing inning.

Consequently, the collapse became one of the worst relief performances in Yankees history. Cruz and Mark Leiter Jr. combined to give up nine runs without securing an out. The damage was swift and historic. Ultimately, the Yankees could not recover, and the Tigers cruised to a commanding 12–2 victory.

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During the disastrous seventh inning, the Tigers sent 14 batters to the plate and exploded for nine runs. Parker Meadows opened the rally with a go-ahead RBI single after his earlier two-run homer in the fifth. Dillon Dingler drew a bases-loaded walk, Trey Sweeney blooped an RBI single, and Kerry Carpenter capped the outburst with a two-run triple. By the end of the inning, the Yankees were left stunned and completely overwhelmed.

Before the collapse, a solid start from Will Warren had kept the Yankees in control. He allowed only two runs through six efficient innings. But then, the bullpen unraveled, wasting his effort. The Yankees fell to 80–64, while the Tigers climbed to 83–62. Now, that gap in the standings looms large. Questions about the Yankees bullpen have returned. What was once praised as the best must now prove itself, especially with October approaching.

Fernando Cruz’s bold words set the stage for the Yankees bullpen collapse. After a month-long struggle, the Tigers exposed their flaws and made them look foolish. The season-long mess surfaced once again.

Now, the question remains: can the Yankees fix it in time to keep their World Series hopes alive?