Luis Gil Tries To Lead New York Yankees To Game 1 Win
Luis Gil tried to help the Yankees win Game 1 of the American League Division Series. He faced Kevin Gausman, the Blue Jays’ ace. Gil pitched and gave up early home runs, and the Yankees were behind quickly. The Yankees lost this game 10-1.
The Yankees only need to win one of these two games in Toronto, so the game today did not make much of a difference. There was a question of why Gil was left off the roster in the Wild Card round. We found out why in this game.
Lineups: Supporting Luis Gil In Game 1
The Toronto Blue Jays had George Springer leading off, and he was the designated hitter. Nathan Lukes was the right fielder and batted second. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was the first baseman and batted third. Addison Barger was the third baseman and batted fourth. Isiah Kiner-Falefa came in for him in the eighth inning. Alejandro Kirk was the catcher and batted fifth. Daulton Varsho was the center fielder and batted sixth. Anthony Santander was the left fielder and batted seventh. Myles Straw pinch ran for him in the seventh inning. He stayed in to play left field. Â
Andrés Giménez was the shortstop and batted eighth. Ernie Clement was the second baseman and batted ninth. He moved to third base in the eighth inning. For the Yankees, Trent Grisham played center field and led off. Aaron Judge was the right fielder and batted second. Cody Bellinger was the left fielder and batted third.Â
Giancarlo Stanton was the designated hitter and batted fifth. Jazz Chisholm Jr. was the second baseman and batted sixth. Ryan McMahon was the third baseman and batted seventh. José Caballero pinch-ran for him in the seventh inning. He stayed in to play third base. Anthony Volpe was the shortstop and batted eighth. Austin Wells was the catcher and batted ninth.Â
News and Notes
Gil had the largest drop in strikeout rate of any pitcher in baseball. He was missing today by a foot with his pitches. Gil’s problems could be mechanical. Bo Bichette, Max Scherzer, and Chris Bassitt were all left off the ALDS roster by the Blue Jays. Bichette, in particular, is a big loss for the Blue Jays. That said, their batting order is strong enough, and with the vital home-field advantage, the Blue Jays were the slight betting favorite in this series. The Yankees swung at a Major League low 47% of pitches this year. In the fourth inning today, after Judge grounded out, it was 67%.
Game Reaction
The Yankees needed a better start from Gil, though this game was not that important to them. He was removed after 2.2 innings. He was removed after a Guerrero Jr. single. He threw only 48 pitches. There was no room for him in this game. His wildness cost him. He was replaced by Tim Hill.
There was some thought that Luis Gil would start two games in this series. His wildness cost him that opportunity. On the flip side, Gausman was excellent for the Toronto Blue Jays. He came into this game having not won a postseason game in eight tries. In the fifth inning, there were two great defensive plays for the Blue Jays. They were the best defensive team in baseball this season. If they are going to dive around the field and make great plays, this will be a quick series.
Scoring Summary
In the first inning, Guerrero Jr. hit a solo home run. It was 1-0 Blue Jays. In the second inning, Kirk hit a solo home run. It was 2-0 Blue Jays. In the sixth inning, Bellinger walked on four pitches, and Volpe scored. It was 2-1, Blue Jays. In the seventh inning, Gimenez singled and Varsho scored. The Blue Jays led 3-1. Then Lukes doubled, and both Gimenez and Clement scored. It was 5-1, Toronto. Then Guerrero Jr. hit a sacrifice fly and Springer scored. It was 6-1, Blue Jays.
In the eighth inning, the Blue Jays scored four more runs. First, Kirk hit a solo home run. Then, Gimenez doubled and Varsho scored. Clement hit a sacrifice fly, and Straw scored. Finally, Lukes singled and Gimenez scored. When it was all over, the Blue Jays led 10-1. That was the final score of this game.
Conclusion
Gil was pulled from the game after just 2.2 innings pitched. The Yankees would like to win one of two games in Toronto. In this way, the Yankees would wrestle home-field advantage from the Blue Jays. They will turn to their ace, Max Fried, in tomorrow’s game. He will be opposed by rookie phenom Trey Yesavage.
