NEW YORK _ It had been the greatest week of Corey Knebel's professional life.
His first All-Star selection. The imaginative reveal of the gender _ it's a girl _ of a baby due after the season. A national television appearance Friday afternoon.
There's no role in baseball that can slap you in the face harder than that of closer, however, as Knebel discovered Saturday.
Showing up without command of his overpowering fastball and sharp-breaking curve, Knebel walked a couple of hitters on four pitches in the bottom of the ninth, then served up a three-run homer to rookie Clint Frazier that allowed the New York Yankees to rally for a 5-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers at Yankee Stadium.
With that lightning bolt over the left-field fence, the first-place Brewers' five-game winning streak came to a shocking halt, leaving one game to recover before the All-Star break.
"I didn't throw a first-pitch strike to anyone, so those things happen," said Knebel, who extended his record streak to 42 consecutive appearances with at least one strikeout by whiffing Chase Headley between walks of Didi Gregorius and Jacoby Ellsbury.
"I felt good; everything was fine. I just didn't throw strikes. It's tough but the game's over now. So, come back at it tomorrow."
The walk-off ending put a damper on another strong showing by left-hander Brent Suter, making his second start in place of injured Chase Anderson. Suter kept the Yankees off the board until a two-run rally in the seventh and was so impressive that manager Craig Counsell said he would remain in the rotation after the All-Star break.
"Brent was outstanding," Counsell said. "He pitched wonderfully; it's fun to see. It's really important moving forward that we fund a guy that can fill that spot and do a really nice job. There's going to be quite a few starts in that spot."
Pitching with a fast pace that had New York's hitters uncomfortable, Suter didn't allow a hit until the fifth inning and took a two-hit shutout into the seventh, when suddenly every hitter was on his pitches.
With one down, Headley ripped a booming ground-rule double to center and moved to third on Ellsbury's single up the middle. Suter then threw wildly to first on a pickoff attempt, allowing Headley to score and Ellsbury to race to third.
"I think the error on the pickoff rattled him a little bit but he pitched outstanding," Counsell said of Suter. "His pace is certainly something that works to his advantage."
Frazier barely missed a home run with a RBI triple off the wall in left, making it a one-run game and ending Suter's day. Jared Hughes took over and stranded Frazier at third by getting pinch-hitter Ji-Man Choi to ground out with the infield in and popping up Ronald Torreyes.
"I felt like I did my job and gave the team a chance to win," said Suter, who has allowed two earned runs in 121/3 innings in his two starts. "I'm really disappointed in myself in the seventh. I don't think I executed pitches well that inning. So, it was kind of a sour note to end, personally.
"Days like this are going to happen. It's part of the game. That's a good team over there. That was a good game for Clint Frazier. He's a tough hitter, has quick hands. But we'll go out and get them tomorrow."
The Brewers have been the best team in the majors at scoring in the first inning (78 runs in 90 games) and that trend continued, with a bit of controversy. Eric Thames was on second with two down when an inside pitch from Luis Severino to Travis Shaw was ruled a hit-by-pitch by home plate umpire Mike Estabrook.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi came onto the field to argue that the pitch missed Shaw, and after much discussion, the umpires finally took it to video replay. The call stood, prompting much booing from New York fans, which only increased when Domingo Santana followed with an opposite-field, three-run homer.
That would be the end of the Brewers' offense for the day, however. They never mounted another rally against Severino or relievers Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman.
