By Owen Hetherington
May 11, 2022
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The Yankees continued their five game homestand with the first of a two-game set vs. Toronto on Tuesday night. A lack of offense from the Yankees in the first half of the game put the Yankees in a come from behind situation in the second half. However, the Yankees rallied back in the 9th inning, as the Yankees walked off on a big fly from Aaron Judge.
Quick Stats:
Giancarlo Stanton: 5 of his 7 HR this season have either tied the game or gave the Yankees the lead
Stanton's 5 game-tying or go-ahead home runs are the most on the Yankees this season
Yankees starters have allowed 3 earned runs or fewer in 28 of 29 games this season. That's best in MLB this season.
Prior to last night’s game, DJ LeMahieu was a career .340/.400/.552 (72-for-212) batter with 35 R, 16 doubles, 1 triple, 9 HR, 28 RBI and 20 BB in 54 G vs. the Blue Jays.
Playing in his 600th career game last night, Aaron Judge hit his 168th career home run. His 168 career home runs are the 2nd most by a player through his first 600 games, trailing only Ryan Howard (183).
The Yankees are now 19-1 when Judge and Stanton both homer in the same game.
Big Story:
The Toronto Blue Jays tallied the first run of the ballgame on Luis Severino’s 7th pitch of the game, a solo shot off the bat of George Springer. Severino buckled down, striking out the next three batters he faced to end the top of the first.
Toronto then added another pair of runs in the second inning on a two run RBI double from Santiago Espinal. The call on the field was originally a three run home run, but a replay review by the Yankees confirmed the ball hit the top of the wall and did not leave the ballpark. 3-0 Toronto after the second inning.
The Yankees were hitless through the first five innings of the game. DJ LeMahieu led off the bottom of the 6th inning with a double to left field. Judge followed LeMahieu with a single that gave the Yankees their first runner in scoring position of the night. With one out away in the 6th, Stanton hit a short porch homer over the right field wall, tying the game at three runs apiece.
The Blue Jays regained their lead in the 8th inning on an RBI double from Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Alejando Kirk. 5-3 Toronto following the bottom of the 8th.
But then…
In the bottom of the ninth with runners on first and second, Aaron Judge blasted a nuke into the left field bleachers, recording the first walk-off home run of his career. Judge now leads Major League Baseball with 10 home runs on the season.
Best win of the season…
Final Score: Yankees 6, Blue Jays 5
Player(s) of the Game:
Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge are the obvious choice for player of the game. Stanton’s home run in the 6th inning marked his 7th big fly of the season, tying him for third place on the MLB home run leaderboard this season. Judge’s walk off home run in the 9th inning marked the first of his career and gives him sole possession of home run leader in Major League Baseball.
For Toronto, George Springer’s leadoff home run in the first inning gave the Blue Jays early momentum, which they carried throughout the entire game. Springer was the only Blue Jay to record multiple hits against the Yankees last night.
Notable Performances:
Despite allowing three runs over 4.2 IP, Severino bounced back from a shaky first two innings of work. Severino finished the night with a season-high 8 strikeouts.
Better to Forget:
Isaiah Kiner-Falefa was hitless again last night and hasn’t recorded a base hit over his last four games. Kiner-Falefa finished the night with three strikeouts and is 0-for-his-last-14.
My Take:
Not recording a base hit through the first five innings of a game doesn’t leave many opportunities to make adjustments in the second half of the game. The Toronto Blue Jays' pitching kept the Yankees on their toes the entire game, which could’ve ultimately been the deciding factor in last night’s game.
I was happy to see Severino bounce back in the third and fourth innings of his outing after allowing three runs through his first two innings pitched. Severino’s command was there throughout his start, as he finished the night with 8 punch-outs. He also finished the night with a season-high 97 pitches.
In games against Toronto, the offense needs to get ahead early. No lead is safe against this star-studded Blue Jay lineup. However, Aaron Judge had something up his sleeve and delivered one of the best wins of the season. Judge is looking like a genius for betting on himself and testing free agency after this season with his MVP caliber play.
Up Next:
The Yankees and Blue Jays play the finale of the two game series this afternoon at 12:35 pm. Jameson Taillon will make his sixth start of the season on an extended seven day rest. In his last start on May 3rd at Toronto, Taillon earned the win after allowing just one earned run over 6 innings of work.
