Baseball’s toughest skill? Getting runners home

The New York team started their home season strong but found runs hard to come by. Pitchers like Will Warren kept them in games, but the team struggled to push runners across the plate. In the first six innings, they managed just five runs against Miami, despite controlling most of the action. A big reason? The team’s hitters couldn’t capitalize when it mattered. They went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position, a stat that shows how tough it is to drive in runs when chances arise. Ben Rice stood out—badly—as he struck out in all three of his at-bats, including once with the bases loaded. That’s four outs in one inning, all without a single ball in play.Even stars like Aaron Judge couldn’t save the day early on. His solo homer in the first inning was the only hit with a runner on base in 14 tries. The team’s aggressive baserunning and extra-base hits weren’t making a difference when the game was on the line. Pitchers kept them close, but the offense needed more clutch performances to turn pressure into runs.