Yankees (sleep paralysis) demon reliever resurfaces with the exact team you'd hope

What New York Yankees loss do you think about when you're awake at night, battling insomnia? "Whatever Happened Last Night" is a suitable answer these days, but usually there's one moment from the past that tends to creep into the nooks and crannies of each fan's cerebellum and truly torments them.

Is it the 7-2 lead in the eighth they blew against the Marlins in 2023, formally ending their season in August? Perhaps that no-hitter Domíngo Germán was throwing at Fenway Park in 2021 that morphed from a 4-0 cruiser to a 5-4 deficit by the time the eighth inning had concluded? Was Clay Holmes on the mound, in your nightmares? He was, wasn't he?

Given the stakes and the looming dread that has lived within Fenway Park's walls since 2004, odds are whichever loss haunts you the most probably happened in Boston. And, if your brain gravitates towards the inexplicable rather than the ghastly, Brooks Kriske's extra inning probably lives rent free in there.

Back in 2021, when — much like this season — every other game was a horror show, Kriske was forced to breathe deeply and attempt to conquer the Ghost Runner on a hot July night after Chad Green had allowed a two-out, two-run double to tie things up in the ninth (thanks, Kiké Hernández).

This is crazy, but the Yankees did score their automatic runner in the top of the 10th, leaving a one-run lead for Kriske to protect. Instead, he threw two wild pitches with Xander Bogaerts at the plate, tying the game. He then walked Bogaerts, moved him to third with two more wild pitches, struck out JD Martinez to delay the inevitable, and got walked off by a Hunter Renfroe sacrifice fly.

That moment, which will live in infamy, did not end his Yankees career. He allowed five runs in an inning against the Blue Jays on Sept. 6, 2021, finishing a game and turning a 3-0 deficit into an 8-0 loss. He then floated to the Orioles, pitching four more times that September, before earning a few MLB reps with the Royals in 2023 and Cubs this year. His six two-hit, five-walk shutout innings in Chicago this season still haven't managed to push his career ERA any lower than 8.78, but he'll get another chance to ply his wares after being claimed by the (drumroll) Minnesota Twins on Tuesday!

Former Yankees reliever Brooks Kriske claimed by Minnesota Twins

Minnesota's trade deadline fire sale will provide plenty of opportunity to anyone who wants to take a crack at becoming the next Griffin Jax (then similarly begging to leave town), and maybe Kriske will prosper after whiffing 52 in 31 2/3 innings in the minors this season.

If the Twins do decide to deploy him, he'll come face to face with the Yankees from Aug. 11-13. Considering the success the Yanks usually have against that particular team, maybe it's a blessing? But, considering the nightmares they've faced at every turn this year, we'll have to consider the possibility that Kriske will get the last laugh. Chilling.