New York Yankees Lose To Toronto Blue Jays 2-1 In a Matchup of Great Starting Pitchers
The Yankees lost to the Toronto Blue Jays 2-1 in the third game of their series with the Toronto Blue Jays. This game was great, though delayed for two hours by rain. It featured two great young starting pitchers in Cam Schlittler and Trey Yasavage. These two matched up in the playoffs last season. They are fun to watch because they represent the best Major League Baseball has to offer.
It is a bad sign when your game is in the fourth inning, and all of the other games on the East Coast are complete. However, the pitching matchup in this game was worth the wait. Schlittler and Yasvage are so good, in fact, that this game was decided by the bullpens, which is a shame because the Yankees’ bullpen is depleted after using five relief pitchers in each of the last three games. Could there be a better starting pitching matchup than this one?
Yankees and Blue Jays Game Summary
This game between the Yankees and Blue Jays was a scoreless tie through six innings. Both Schlittler and Yasavage mowed down opposing batters with eye-popping stuff. David Cone, who does color commentary on the Yankees’ television broadcast, could not stop gushing about how good the stuff of these two young pitchers is.
In the seventh inning, Schlittler tired and loaded the bases. Then he walked Andres Giminez with the bases loaded. Valdimir Guerraro Jr. hit a sacrifice fly. The score was 2-0, Toronto. In the ninth inning, Paul Goldschmidt grounded out, and the Yankees got a run. Alas, 2-1 is how the game would end. Yovanny Cruz pitched two scoreless innings, striking out 3, in his MLB debut.
Young Guns
The young pitchers in this game did not disappoint. Yasavage threw six innings and struck out eight. He allowed only two hits and did not give up a run. Schlittler also pitched seven innings and allowed no runs. He gave up six hits, but struck out seven.
Savages
Yankee Manager Aaron Boone was ejected from the game on Tuesday. That was his 43rd ejection ever. That, and the name of the Toronto starting pitcher, Trey Yasavage, brings to mind one of the best ejections in Major League Baseball history, and it was of Aaron Boone. He says he likes to get his money’s worth when he gets ejected. He certainly did in this case.
Two years ago, Boone argued a called strike was a ball. You cannot argue balls and strikes, so he was ejected. The ejection occurred while Boone was still in the dugout. Boone ran out from the dugout and started screaming. It was recorded, “My guys are savages in the box.” His point was that his hitter should be given the chances to hit. The fantastic breakdown was probably the greatest ejection ever recorded. The ejection, needless to say, went viral.
Two Injury Returns Friday
The Yankees are going to get two hugely important players back on Friday in their series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays. First, Gerrit Cole will be the starting pitcher for the Yankees. He has not started a game for the team since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series.
He missed all of last season and all of this season so far, after having Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow. It is not possible to overstate the enormity of this start. Cole was probably the greatest pitcher in the world when he got hurt. The team and its fans have been waiting a long time for him to come back.
Second, Jose Cabellero is scheduled to come off the IL for the team. Caballero is a sparkplug for the Yankees. He runs the bases like he stole something. He is also important because he is a right-handed hitter for the team that is so full of left-handed hitters. It will be fascinating to see what the Yankees do to accommodate the addition of Caballero. They might have to send Anthony Volpe to the minor leagues. He has played very well for the team.
