NEW YORK — Jared Walsh hit a tying grand slam off Aroldis Chapman in a seven-run ninth inning for his second homer of a long night, and the Los Angeles Angels stunned the New York Yankees 11-8 in a rainy game that finished after 1 a.m. on Thursday.
Shohei Ohtani’s highly anticipated first pitching appearance at Yankee Stadium was a wild wreck that ended early. He was charged with seven runs in the first inning, but the Angels persevered through two weather delays that lasted more than two hours and broke loose for seven of their own in the ninth.
Chapman, who hadn’t pitched in a week, entered in a non-save situation to protect an 8-4 lead. But he walked three batters to load the bases with one out and Walsh launched an 84 mph slider into the Yankees’ bullpen in right-center for his second career slam and the first Chapman ever allowed.
The fireballing lefty hadn’t given up a home run to a left-handed batter since August 2017.
Pinch-hitter Luis Rengifo broke the tie with a two-run single off Lucas Luetge (2-1) with two outs, and Taylor Ward added an RBI single.
Raisel Iglesias got three quick outs for his 15th save as seven Angels relievers helped bail out Ohtani, handing the Yankees perhaps their most demoralizing loss of an extremely disappointing season so far.
After the Angels rallied, some of the few fans who remained expressed their displeasure with manager Aaron Boone by chanting “Fire Boone! Fire Boone!”
Mike Mayers (2-3) got the win after giving up a solo homer to Brett Gardner in the eighth.
It was the first time the Yankees served up a tying slam in the ninth inning or later since Toronto slugger George Bell connected off Dave Righetti in June 1986.
Chapman hadn’t walked three batters in a game since July 2019.
“Terrible loss,” Boone said.
It was the fourth time the Yankees scored at least seven runs in the first inning and lost. The previous occasion came in 1954 against Cleveland.
The last time New York led by four in the ninth and lost was in August 2000 against the Angels.
Chapman has given up four home runs to left-handed hitters in his career. The last one was a go-ahead shot by Yonder Alonso for Seattle on Aug. 25, 2017.
DJ LeMahieu hit an early three-run double for the Yankees, who have dropped five of six.
Play was delayed a total of 2:13 during a pair of stoppages, pushing the finish to 1:06 a.m. The teams were scheduled to square off again in 12 hours – weather permitting.
“About as bad as it gets right now,” Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton said. “As crushing as it is, this can’t linger.”
Ohtani got only two outs during his highly anticipated pitching debut against the Yankees, going bust with his Babe Ruth impersonation in the Bronx — at least on this night.
The two-way phenom, who leads the majors with 28 home runs, was chased after four first-inning walks and charged with a career-worst seven runs.
Making his career-high 12th pitching start of the season on a 92-degree night that cooled off later, Ohtani flopped long before the showers arrived.
He was handed a 2-0 lead on Phil Gosselin’s two-run homer in the top of the first but quickly gave it back. The 26-year-old right-hander walked his first three batters and threw just 20 of 41 pitches for strikes — though it wasn’t the shortest start of his major league career. He gave up five runs without getting an out on 30 pitches last July 26 at Oakland during his first pitching appearance in almost 23 months following Tommy John surgery.
Aaron Slegers, just called up from the minors, gave up a three-run double to LeMahieu, who punched a grounder inside first base on a half-hearted swing. That made it 7-2 and closed the book on Ohtani, whose ERA jumped from 2.58 to 3.60.
It was New York’s biggest first inning since May 25, 2015, against Kansas City.
Ohtani also batted leadoff and flied out against Domingo German to begin the game. The slugging designated hitter/pitcher had 11 homers in his previous 13 games.
He became the first pitcher to start one game after hitting two home runs for his team since Ruth did it for the Yankees on Sept. 28, 1930. Ohtani socked three homers in the first two games of the series.
By the third inning, the taxed Angels were on their fourth of eight pitchers — and without a designated hitter. Two of them besides Ohtani wound up batting in his leadoff spot.
Dylan Bundy, who vomited on the Yankee Stadium field in the heat Monday night and lasted only 1 2/3 innings, was summoned for his first relief appearance since 2016 with Baltimore.
The game was halted for 42 minutes in the bottom of the third because of rain. Play was stopped again for 91 minutes in the middle of the fifth with New York leading 7-4, thinning a season-high crowd of 30,714.
Walsh led off the Angels fifth with a homer against Luis Cessa.