Joe Ryan shuts down Yankees for seven scoreless innings as Twins grab 1st Bronx series win in 12 years

The Minnesota Twins opened a Sunday afternoon in the Bronx with a setback to their everyday lineup, losing center fielder Byron Buxton after the first inning. Buxton departed due to a right hip issue that had already kept him out for four games earlier in the week, but the Twins did not let the moment tilt the rest of the game. Joe Ryan answered for Minnesota with seven scoreless innings, helping the Twins post a 6-1 victory over the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

Ryan’s outing set the tone early and stayed steady through the seventh. According to MLB’s game coverage, the right-hander allowed only four baserunners across his seven innings, with three hits and a walk. He faced 25 hitters and threw a first-pitch strike to 20 of them, a detail that mattered in sustaining control and forcing hitters to commit to counts.

The Twins’ run prevention came through without needing extended bullpen help. Ryan ultimately completed seven innings for the third time this season, and the scoreless stretch included a late sequence where, on his 106th and final pitch of the afternoon, he used a sweeper that produced a wild swing and miss from Amed Rosario. That at-bat left Ryan with a ninth strikeout, matching his season high.

Minnesota’s offense also delivered, even without Buxton in the field for the remainder of the game. MLB’s report states that eight different Twins hitters combined for 12 hits against five Yankees pitchers, turning that output into enough scoring to separate the clubs. The Twins did not need to outpace New York in run totals inning by inning, but they provided just enough cushion once Ryan kept the game from getting away.

With the win, the Twins secured their first series victory in the Bronx since 2014, a meaningful marker for a franchise that has spent much of the past decade building its roster around pitching depth and multi-dimensional hitters. MLB’s coverage also noted the result gave Minnesota its first series win over the Yankees, home or away, since April 2023.

There was a larger offensive context in the background as well. Entering Sunday’s game, the Twins were averaging 4.91 runs per game, which placed them sixth in the majors, per MLB’s preview and in-game notes. The Buxton absence did not suppress that baseline production, and it raised the question of how Minnesota will align defensively if the center-field role remains unsettled beyond this game.

Looking ahead, the main storyline will be the status of Buxton’s right hip after he was forced out in the opening frame. For Ryan and the rotation, the next test is whether Minnesota can turn a dominant start into consistent follow-up performances across the rest of the series and beyond, especially if their lineup has to adjust on the fly.

For Yankees fans, the broader takeaway was that New York got little traction against Ryan’s command and pitch-to-pitch execution, with the Twins converting enough offense to make the deficit difficult to close. For the Twins, the win provides momentum in a matchup that tends to expose weaknesses, and it underscores why their best pitching performances can carry even when the offense loses a key presence early.