The Yankees’ hot start to the season has been all about power.
But on Tuesday night, it was the Arizona Diamondbacks who delivered a back-breaking blast.
Eugenio Suárez’s eighth-inning grand slam against reliever Mark Leiter Jr. proved to be the game-winner in the D-Backs’ 7-5 victory in the Bronx, dealing the Yankees (3-1) their first loss of the year.
The home run was the fifth of the season for Suárez, who broke a tie with the Yankees’ Aaron Judge for the MLB lead.
“It’s definitely disappointing,” Leiter said. “We had a chance to win that game, and I’ve got to make better pitches right there.”
The Yankees led, 4-3, when Leiter entered with one on and one out in the top of the eighth, and he promptly walked the first two batters he faced. He nearly worked out of the jam, striking out Josh Naylor for the second out before working Suarez to a 2-2 count.
But Leiter hung a splitter, and Suárez — the reigning National League Player of the Week — got enough to deposit it just over the left-field wall, putting Arizona up, 7-4.
“Just one of those nights where he’s just a little bit off,” manager Aaron Boone said of Leiter.
The Yankees’ bullpen was shorthanded with closer Devin Williams on paternity leave. Luke Weaver, whose typical job is to pitch high-leverage set-up innings, had been in line to pitch the ninth.
Suárez’s go-ahead slam capped a five-run eighth inning for Arizona (3-2) and spoiled a strong start by Yankees rookie Will Warren, who was in line for his first MLB win.
“I can’t walk two guys,” Leiter said. “That’s really it.”
The Yankees garnered national attention over the weekend for their innovative “torpedo” bats, which feature elongated barrels to help hitters make hard contact more regularly. Five different Yankees homered using a torpedo bat during their season-opening sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Yankees hit three more home runs Tuesday — including one by Anthony Volpe, a torpedo-bat user — to give them 18 on the season. That set an MLB record for the most through a team’s first four games.
But that wasn’t enough to keep the Yankees out of the loss column, nor was the best start of Warren’s young MLB career.
The right-hander limited the Diamondbacks to two runs on one hit over five innings, during which he outpitched new Arizona ace Corbin Burnes, who was making his team debut.
Warren, the Yankees’ No. 2 pitching prospect, made his MLB debut last season but struggled to an 0-3 record and a 10.32 ERA over six appearances, including five starts.
He was pressed into the Yankees’ season-opening rotation due to a rash of injuries, including to ace Gerrit Cole, who underwent season-ending elbow surgery last month, and Luis Gil, who is expected to miss at least two more months with a high-grade lat strain.
Warren retired Arizona’s first eight batters, but a four-pitch walk to No. 9 hitter Geraldo Perdomo proved costly. Corbin Carroll followed up the free pass with a two-run home run, giving the D-Backs a 2-0 lead in the third inning.
Jasson Domínguez, who still wields a traditional bat, answered in the bottom of the third with his first home run of the season, cutting the Yankees’ deficit to 2-1.
An inning later, Volpe struck his third home run of the year to tie the game, 2-2.
With two outs in the fourth, Burnes had a chance to strand runners on second and third when he got Oswaldo Cabrera to hit a routine grounder to the first baseman Naylor. But Naylor tossed the ball over Burnes’ head as he covered first, allowing Cabrera to reach and for both runners to score.
Burnes, who spent last season with the Baltimore Orioles, allowed four runs (two earned) over 4.1 innings in his first start since joining Arizona on a six-year, $210 million contract.
Warren, meanwhile, punctuated his outing by striking out Carroll to end the fifth, leaving a runner at second base. The 25-year-old worked around four walks and struck out four.
“That’s an exciting first outing for him,” Boone said. “That’s a really good offense to go through and I thought he pitched really well. Even had a couple walks in there, a couple leadoff walks, and didn’t really come unraveled at all.”
The score remained 4-2 until Yankees reliever Tim Hill surrendered an RBI single to Perdomo in the eighth. Hill then gave way to Leiter, who was charged with three earned runs in 0.1 innings, a blown save and the loss.
Ben Rice clubbed a solo home run against left-handed closer A.J. Puk with two outs in the ninth inning, but the next batter, pinch-hitter Pablo Reyes, flew out to end the game.
Frank Sinatra’s “That’s Life” played over the speakers following the loss — the Yankees’ first since they committed to playing “New York, New York” only after victories.
“It’s tough,” Rice said. “That’s just sometimes how it goes. I think we’ve got a resilient, resilient team that can dig ourselves out of any holes, but unfortunately tonight we weren’t able to.”
The Yankees will look to avoid their first losing streak of the season on Wednesday night, when Carlos Carrasco is set to make his first start. Arizona co-ace Zac Gallen (0-1, 9.00 ERA) is scheduled to start for the D-Backs.
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