The New York Yankees have been searching for themselves for some time, but yesterday at the Rogers Centre they fully rediscovered their identity by crushing the Toronto Blue Jays by a score of 16-5.
Aaron Boone’s men managed an impressive total of 18 hits against the six pitchers used by Jays manager John Schneider throughout the evening.
On the winning side, former Blue Jays player Marcus Stroman was not involved in the decision, leaving the game after only four and a third innings of work.
Yusei Kikuchi (4-8) took the loss, giving up four earned runs to the Yankees in five innings on the mound. The Japanese player still struck out seven Yankees batters before leaving. It was the Jays’ relief team that was truly miserable in this duel between two division rivals, as the relievers allowed the visitors to score 12 runs. Let’s remember that this relief team is greatly compromised due to injuries to key players: Yimi Garcia and Jordan Romano.
In addition to suffering the humiliation of a crushing defeat, the Blue Jays lost outfielder George Springer. He was hit in the left hand by a fastball from Michael Tonkin in the bottom of the fifth inning. Grimacing in pain, Springer remained in the game before being replaced two innings later.
The good news is that he has not suffered a fracture and will be kept sidelined from day to day in order to better feel the full extent of the pressure with his stick in his hands.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had another great game, hitting his 12th home run of the season, a solo shot that cut the deficit to two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. It was his fifth home run in his last seven games. Guerrero Jr. is batting .291 so far this season. Isiah Kiner-Falefa also hit a solo home run, his seventh in 2024.
Juan Soto and Aaron Judge once again led the New York offense, driving in three and two runs, respectively, in the win. Soto hit his 20th home run of the season against Kikuchi. For his part, the Yankees’ big number 99 had a three-hit night in five at-bats and scored three runs.
Also notable was a great performance by Gleyber Torres. The Yankees second baseman homered for his eighth home run and drove in three runs as part of the offensive feast. Every Yankees starter had at least one hit, allowing the entire offensive line to contribute to the feast.
Thanks to this impressive victory, the Yankees (53-31) remain tied with the Baltimore Orioles, at the top of the Eastern section of the American. The Jays (37-44) are still languishing in the division’s cellar, fourteen and a half games behind the leaders.
Today, Chris Bassitt will try to keep the Yankees’ hitters in check as he faces left-hander Nestor Cortes. Tomorrow, Toronto baseball fans will get a chance to see starter Gerrit Cole in action.
- Charlie Morton has won against every MLB club in his career.
- Max Scherzer leads Greg Maddux in strikeouts.
