Stewart’s Big Day Leads Reds to Lopsided Win
- John Nielsen
- Jun 21
- 3 min read
Stewart’s Big Day Leads Reds to Lopsided Win
By John Nielsen
June 21, 2026
***
Sal Stewart cracked two doubles and drove in a career-high six runs as the Cincinnati Reds took advantage of multiple Yankee defensive lapses to roll to a 10–2 victory Saturday afternoon, handing New York its most lopsided loss of the season.
The Yankees sent Will Warren to the mound for the fifteenth time and he opened the first by striking out the side on just eleven pitches. Moments later, Paul Goldschmidt jumped on a pitch and sent it into the right-field seats to give New York a 1–0 lead. It marked Goldy's 12th home run of the season—he has already surpassed his 2025 total of 10—and the 384th of his career, leaving him just one behind injured teammate Aaron Judge.
With one out in the third, Edwin Arroyo doubled and Blake Dunn walked, bringing up JJ Bleday, who hit a soft liner that Jasson Dominguez was able to corral on the dead run. Arroyo, who drifted well off second base, would’ve been a dead duck had Dominguez thrown behind him – inning over. Instead, Dominguez somehow expected the play to be at 3rd which is where his throw was directed – not recognizing that there was an excellent shot at doubling up Arroyo. The mental mistake gave the Reds an extra out, and Stewart took advantage, cracking a 2-run double off the base of the left-field wall to put Cincinnati in front, 2-1.
In the fifth, Cincinnati took advantage of shoddy Yankee defense. Arroyo led off the inning with a routine grounder to shortstop Anthony Volpe. Volpe’s throw was a little low and to the right-field side of first base but was imminently catchable. However, first baseman Ben Rice couldn’t glove it, putting a runner on first. That error (ultimately charged to Rice) opened the floodgates as the Reds scored four unearned runs in the frame, on a sacrifice fly by Stewart to make it 3-1 and then a 407-foot three run bomb by Spencer Steer extending the lead to 6-1.
Warren (7-2) went 5.2 IP allowing eight hits and two walks with eight strikeouts, lowering his ERA to 3.45, despite the six runs. Warren could just as easily have had a shutout at the point he left in the sixth.
In contrast, after allowing the first inning home run, Reds’ starter Andrew Abbott settled in. Abbott (5-4) left with two on and nobody out in the sixth, but reliever Tejay Antone got out of the inning unscathed. Abbott left after allowing one run (earned) on five hits and three walks, striking out six in another impressive outing.
Stewart put the game out of reach in the eighth, delivering a two-out, bases-clearing double off Ryan Yarbrough. The 22-year-old rookie finished the day with a .252/.346/.457 slash line, 14 home runs, 53 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases.
With the game already decided, the Yankees turned to utility man Max Schuemann to pitch the ninth to save the bullpen. Working with a fastball that averaged under 50 mph, he allowed a single and a walk but kept Cincinnati off the scoreboard. It was one of very few bright spots for New York on Saturday afternoon.
The Reds (36–39) evened the three-game series with the win. They will send ace Chase Burns (8–1, 2.01 ERA) to the mound for Sunday’s rubber game. The Yankees (46–29) will counter with Elmer Rodriguez (0–1, 4.15 ERA), recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in a surprise move, while Gerrit Cole has been pushed back to Monday to open the series in Detroit.
GAME NOTES
• To make room for Rodriguez, the Yankees optioned Jake Bird to Triple-A.
• Manager Aaron Boone announced catcher Austin Wells will be activated from the Injured List before Sunday’s game. One of Ali Sánchez or J.C. Escarra will be optioned, with Escarra the likely choice Wells hit two home runs in 14 plate appearances during his rehab.
• Top prospect George Lombard Jr. was placed on the IL at Triple-A with two sprained fingers on his non-throwing hand. A return timeline has not been set.
having Rodriguez pitch another MLB game seems to signal something or other.
should he do well, the team might be able to move Weathers to the pen immediately. rather than in consequence to the return of Fried.
and then, the activation of Fried would suggest that either Rodriguez or Warren would be marketable.
Escarra was optioned.
The SWB have been in Columbus this week where GLJ suffered the injury, and they will be in Indianapolis this week, so I don't see GLJ being activated much before June 30, when they are back home.
Don't look now, but Oswaldo Cabrera is red hot🔥. already hitting ,386 with an almost .550 SLG coming into yesterday in June, went 2-5 last night with another HR. He has gotten better 'n better as the season has gone on with the bat. I cannot realistically see him still in SWB post deadline - either he is on the active roster or traded. He is now fully healthy.
Sal Stewart, even coming into this series, to me is the…