MINNEAPOLIS — Three relievers arose from the Yankees bullpen bench on Sunday afternoon and began stretching their arms and loosening their legs. There was nothing unusual about that, except that it was in the fourth inning and starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi was cruising along, having allowed only a run and three singles at that point.
Then again, these are the Yankees, for whom few leads are so secure that they cannot be entrusted to to the bullpen and few starting pitchers can be handled as if he were anything more durable than bone china.
So it was a rare exception when Eovaldi stuck around into the ninth inning of a 7-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins.