Josh Donaldson’s eighth-inning homer gave the Blue Jays the win and the Yankees split a four-game set.
- Toronto Blue Jays (32-22): 3
- New York Yankees (28-29): 2
- American League, FINAL, Box Score
- Rogers Centre, Ontario, Canada
Both teams struggled to create any sort of offense early on, which was expected in this highly regarded pitchers duel. Luis Severino versus Marcus Stroman is a matchup that fans will be looking forward to for years to come.
Severino and Stroman were both flawless through their first three innings. They were dominant and exiting to watch. However, the Yankees finally broke the ice in the fourth.
Aaron Judge got it going in the fourth inning with a single to right field, then stole second, and advanced to third on an error to get into scoring position for Matt Holliday. Holliday lined a shot off of the center field wall allowing Judge to score and gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead.
Severino continued his dominance holding Toronto scoreless through the first five frames. But the Yankees offense put together a solid effort to tack on another run. Matt Holliday picked up another RBI by beating out a ground ball double play resulting in Brett Gardner crossing home plate to make it a 2-0 game.
Severino’s dominance could only hold until there were two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Justin Smoak launched a two-run homer to center field off of a hanging slider, and just like that, the game was tied at two. Smoak recorded his 14th homer with that bomb.
Severino would exit after the seventh inning, and he pitched exceptionally. His final line 7IP 2Runs 7K’s.
Tyler Clippard came on in the eight inning, and in the blink of an eye, the Yankees were trailing. Josh Donaldson on his bobblehead day drilled a shot over the right-center field wall, and suddenly the Yankees were down 3-2.
Roberto Osuna came on to seal the deal for Toronto, and he would do so successfully as the Yankees would lose 3-2.
YANKEES FINALLY HAVE A TRUE ACE:
Despite allowing a game-tying homer in the sixth, Severino was flawless. Going toe-to-toe with one the American Leagues best pitchers says a lot, and Severino seems to be the Yankees, ace pitcher.
BOMBERS EXPLORING 3RD BASE OPTIONS:
Despite the rumors of the Yankees grooming Gleyber Torres for the big leagues this season, a report came out recently that the Yankees are involved in the third base market. This may mean that Torres is not ready.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The Yankees get a day off tomorrow, and then start a three-game set with the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium.
First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET, will be telecasted on the YES Network and broadcasted on WFAN 660/101.9 FM.