Corbin Burnes Blown off Mound in Disastrous 3rd Inning vs Yankees

The Arizona Diamondbacks are fighting for their playoff lives and were counting on Corbin Burnes to come back and help them in September.

Unfortunately he's been anything but a help to the team's push to make the Postseason.

Corbin Burnes Gets Hammered by Yankees

Sep 14, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Corbin Burnes (39) throws in the first inning against the Miami Marlins at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Burnes wiggled out of a first-inning jam when he allowed a walk and a single to start the game. But he retired the next three batters and pitched a scoreless second inning as well.

Burnes appeared to be cruising when he got two quick outs in the third too, but then disaster struck. Heliot Ramos launched a line drive homer 107 MPH off the bat into the left field bleachers to tie the game at 1-1. It came on a middle-middle 92 MPH sinker.

A sharp base hit by Luis Garcia Jr. followed, and Torey Lovullo got the pen up, as Ryne Nelson began throwing. But George Lombard hit a 91 MPH cutter, also in the middle of the plate, 20 rows up, 424 feet out to left for a two-run blast.

That would not be the end of Burnes' torture. The very next batter, Spencer Jones, went down and got a curveball at the bottom of the zone, crushing it 448 feet onto the concourse in left center field.

That was all for Burnes, who was pulled from the game with a pitching line of 2.2 innings, five runs on four hits, including the three homers. He left the game trailing 4-1, handing it off to Nelson. Nolan Arenado hit a grand slam in the fifth inning to put the D-backs ahead 6-4 and get Burnes off the won-loss hook.

Rough Road to Recovery

Arizona Diamondbacks Corbin Burnes during spring training at Salt River Field March 19, 2026 — Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Corbin Burnes during spring training at Salt River Fields on March 19, 2026, near Scottsdale. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

It's been a rough road to recovery for Burnes, who suffered an elbow injury on June 1 of last year. He was attempting to return from Tommy John surgery by the All-Star break this year, but a shoulder injury dealt him a setback.

Somewhat controversially, the D-backs ended up rushing Burnes through his rehab process, bringing him back before he was fully stretched out.

He was finally able to make his season debut on September 8, throwing three scoreless innings. His next outing went poorly however, as he went 4.2 innings and allowed five runs on five hits and two homers.

Burnes has now allowed nine runs in 10.1 innings, for a 7.84 ERA, giving up five homers in the process. His velocity on the cutter, already down to a career low 92.7 coming into Sunday's game, bottomed out at 90.9.

The movement profile on his signature pitch is a shadow of it's former self as well. Simply put, the cutter doesn't cut right now. A right-handers cutter, by definition should break glove side.

Fully 34% of his cutters thrown heading into today were actually moving to the arm side, not glove side. In Sunday's outing, 19 of 39, 48% of cutters broke armside. During his peak years that number was about 2-3%, but had crept up to 11-16% in recent years prior to 2026.

D-backs fans were warned by this publication not to set expectations too high for a starter returning mid-season from Tommy John surgery. That's certainly been the case this year.

Perhaps after a full off-season throwing program and spring training, Burnes can regain his form. That's if there is no lockout interrupting Spring Training, of course.

Burnes won the NL Cy Young in 2021 and was one of the most durable pitchers in the game prior to signing with the Diamondbacks during the 2024-25 offseason. He is still owed four years, $140 million on his contract after this season. He has an opt-out that he will certainly not be exercising. The D-backs can only hope that he'll be able to help next year.

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