Yankees' new-look bullpen's debut vs. Marlins was utterly haunting in cursed season

Where to begin? Where to end? The 2025 New York Yankees earned a new lease on life at the trade deadline on Thursday, July 31. By August 1, that lease on life feels as if it has expired. You may call this a dramatic interpretation. I don't believe it is arguable.

One by one, they took the mound in Miami. Jake Bird, the project with the nasty breaker. David Bednar, the closer riding a scoreless streak. Camilo Doval, the temperamental cutter artist with the 102 MPH heat. After Carlos Rodón and Jonathan Loaisiga combined to allow four runs in the fifth inning to cut a 6-0 lead to 6-4, each and every one of them was entrusted with a simple mission: be yourselves. Do what you do.

A Trent Grisham home run extended the Yankees' lead back to 9-4 entering the bottom of the seventh, at which point Bird placed three runners on base with one out, then surrendered a grand slam to Kyle Stowers, one of baseball's hottest hitters over the past two months (coincidentally the exact period of time where the Yankees have slipped among the worst records in baseball).

David Bednar, untouchable closer, entered. He surrendered a game-tying home run, then three consecutive hits, handing the Marlins the lead.

Then, after an Anthony Volpe game-tying home run, a Bednar recovery inning, and two ninth-inning runs for the Yankees with two outs, Aaron Boone entrusted the lead not to Devin Williams and Luke Weaver, the incumbents, but to another man whose life had been completely upended 24 hours prior. He chose another newcomer. It was like he cosmically felt like each and every one of Brian Cashman's new additions was meant to contribute to Friday night's horrifying loss, and wanted to facilitate that reality.

Camilo Doval, called on to close, recorded the first out of the inning. Single. Walk. Single, and a misplay by Thursday's other new addition in right, Jose Caballero. Game tied. Dribbler in front of the plate. The speedy Xavier Edwards scored the winning run. Ballgame. In a flash. In three flashes. Nothing the Yankees tried was anywhere near good enough - and they tried a lot.

Yankees' entire bullpen full of new additions implodes to doom them in first game after trade deadline in Miami

Unforgettable. That's what you are. An indelible loss that will imprint upon everyone who touched it and everyone who watched it.

But only the players have the power to dig the Yankees back out of the new level of depths that Friday's game created.

It was horrifying. It was from another universe. It was only the first game of many with this new-look bullpen and depth chart. And somehow that's the worst part.