If things go according to plan for the Yankees and Blue Jays, the two AL East foes will play a lot of important games this season.
None figure to be wilder than Tuesday, when Aaron Judge hit a game-winning, three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth, as the Yankees beat the Blue Jays, 6-5, ending a crazy night in The Bronx.
The Yankees have won 14 of 16 after the latest victory.
The rally started off Toronto closer Jordan Romano, when Jose Trevino and DJ LeMahieu drew a pair of one-out walks.
Judge then hit his first career walk-off homer and his 10th long ball of the season into the second deck in left field, sending the Stadium crowd into a frenzy.
Earlier, the rivalry was ratcheted up a bit, when tempers flared.
After Giancarlo Stanton’s three-run blast broke up Yusei Kikuchi’s no-hit bid in the sixth to tie the game, Josh Donaldson was drilled by Yimi Garcia, leading to Garcia’s ejection, as well as that of pitching coach Pete Walker.
But when Jonathan Loaisiga went up and in to Bo Bichette an inning later and no punishment was levied, Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo was tossed.
Toronto went ahead in the eighth, when Loaisiga walked Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to start the inning.
Chad Green, who hadn’t pitched since May 2, entered and struck out Teoscar Hernandez, but Lourdes Gurriel Jr. followed with a double to left to drive in Guerrero and put the Blue Jays up by a run. Gurriel scored on an Alejandro Kirk sacrifice fly.
The Yankees’ offense, which had scored just six runs over the previous four games, was silent early on, as Kikuchi at one point retired a dozen in a row.
LeMahieu started the bottom of the sixth with a double and Judge followed with a single.
After an Anthony Rizzo fly out ended Kikuchi’s night, Stanton homered off Garcia into the short porch in right field to tie the game.
Garcia then hit Donaldson with a 94 mph fastball. Donaldson walked to first and after a bit of a delay, the umpires met and following a brief discussion, tossed Garcia — enraging the right-hander and most of the Blue Jays’ dugout.
As Montoyo tried to calm the situation, Walker was also tossed.
Garcia’s ejection was not preceded by a warning after Miguel Castro hit Gurriel to open the top of the sixth.
Things didn’t settle down in the seventh when Loaisiga threw a pitch close to Bichette with one out, leading to Montoyo’s ejection by home-plate umpire Lance Barrett.
Loaisiga got Bichette to ground into an inning-ending double play.
Luis Severino got off to a rough start, with a leadoff homer by George Springer followed by a single by Bichette.
Severino recovered and whiffed Guerrero, Hernandez and Gurriel to finish the 29-pitch first inning.
Things went further downhill in the second, as Gleyber Torres misplayed Kirk’s grounder that was ruled a single. Matt Chapman walked and Santiago Espinal followed with a shot to the wall in left. Aaron Hicks leaped, but the ball went off his glove for a two-run double to make it 3-0.
Tyler Heineman bunted Espinal to third and with the infield in, Springer struck out. Bichette walked to bring up Guerrero, who grounded to second.
Severino, though, was already at 65 pitches.
The Yankees opened the bottom of the inning with walks by Donaldson and Hicks before Torres, who has hit lefties hard, lined out to right. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, hitless in his previous 10 at-bats, struck out and Kyle Higashioka ended the threat with a comebacker.
Severino bounced back with a nine-pitch third and then struck out the side in the fourth to prolong his outing, retiring nine in a row before Guerrero’s two-out single in the fifth ended his night after 97 pitches.
Credit: Source link
