Aaron Judge’s two-run homer helped the New York Yankees build a first-inning lead they would never lose en route to an 8-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday afternoon.
Kevin Gausman allowed seven runs, seven hits and five walks, while striking out seven in 4 1/3 innings. His record is six wins and seven losses.
“I think they had a good strategy against me, and the strike zone was tight too. I think it didn’t help me at all,” Gausman said.
“It’s not something that’s usual for me. I take a kind of pride in always being on the attack and not giving up walks.”
Gausman’s overall record and 4.75 ERA stand in stark contrast to his numbers last season.
In 2023, Gausman was invited to the All-Star Game for the second time in his career, led the American League in strikeouts with 237, posted a 2.97 ERA and finished third in voting for the American League Cy Young Award.
“This game, it’s changed a lot in the last couple of years. I can tell you that,” Gausman said, referring to the time limit on throwing at home plate, the PitchCom wireless communication system and the number of pitches allowed to catch a runner wrong-footed on the trail.
“Teams find ways to try to beat you, and you have to take steps to slow down their efforts as much as possible.”
Justin Turner, with a single in the third inning, drove in the only run for the Blue Jays (38-45). Vladimir Guerrero Jr. extended his hitting streak to six games with a single in the first inning, but he was hit by a pitch in the third.
Manager John Schneider pulled him from the game in the sixth inning, but said X-rays were negative and there was no sign of a fracture.
Genesis Cabrera, Nate Pearson, Jose Cuas, Chad Green and Bowden Francis followed for the Blue Jays.
DJ LeMahieu scored two runs with a single and a double for the Yankees (54-32), who were able to divide the honors of the four-game series against the Toronto team.
Trent Grisham added a double for two runs and Ben Rice drove in another run with a single.
Gerrit Cole (1-1) allowed one run, three hits and one walk in five innings of work.
Cole, the 2023 American League Cy Young Award winner, struck out six times and reduced his ERA to 6.23 in just his second start this season.
Michael Tonkin, Tim Hill and Josh Maciejewski combined in relief to shut out the Blue Jays over the final four innings.
