Yanks Win On Back Of Goldy's Heroics, 3-1 Over Jays!

By Andy Singer

June 14th, 2026

Photo Credit: Frank Gunn, THE CANADIAN PRESS

The Big Story

This game was an old fashioned pitcher's duel right up to the end. Cam Schlittler started for the Yankees and went toe-to-toe with the Jays' Kevin Gausman. Both pitchers went 7 innings, while allowing 1-run and striking out 7. Gausman was the sharper of the two pitchers, allowing just 3 baserunners in 7 innings, but Schlittler managed to keep step the whole way.

With the game locked at 1 in the top of the 9th inning, it didn't look good for the Yankees, as they'd need to find a way to score against Louis Varland, who has been among the most unhittable closers in the game this season. Cody Bellinger got a lead-off single into CF to begin the inning, bringing Paul Goldschmidt to the plate. Varland's second pitch to Goldy was a hanging knuckle-curve that Goldy jumped all over, sending a majestic shot into the upper deck in LF to give the Yankees a 3-1 lead.

David Bednar was absolutely dominant in the 9th inning, getting 3 swinging strikeouts to close the game out for the Yankees, with Gimenez and Lukes swinging through nasty splitters, while George Springer swung through a 97 MPH fastball on the edge.

Suddenly, the Yankees are finding ways to win close games.

Welcome Back, Jasson Dominguez!

Jasson Dominguez was called up suddenly from his rehab assignment yesterday following Friday night's injury to Trent Grisham. Part of the Yankees' original plan was to give Dominguez a bit more time down in the minors both to finish rehabbing his shoulder and to give him a bit more run in RF before being recalled. Instead, Dominguez was in the starting lineup in Toronto on Saturday afternoon in RF, batting 2nd.

Dominguez made his presence felt. The Yankees fell behind in the bottom of the 3rd on a solo shot from Okamoto. Kevin Gausman was cruising prior to hanging a splitter to Dominguez. It was a great at-bat by Dominguez, who pushed the count full from 1-2 by fouling 2 balls off and by showing a great eye. On the 8th pitch, Dominguez didn't miss, slashing a ball with just enough backspin to clear the fence in RF. It wasn't a home run that would wow anyone with exit velocity or other metrics, but it was a homer in the box score, which is all that matters.

Dominguez had a clean day in RF as well, though the Yankees clearly don't trust him out there quite yet, as he was lifted late for defense. In any case, welcome back, Jasson Dominguez!

Schlittler's Mid-Summer Blues

This is going to sound a bit like "Old Man Yells At Cloud," but I'm going for it anyway. This is the third start in a row that Schlittler hasn't pitched with his best stuff. He's more than getting the job done in general, though the peripheral numbers tell a different tale than his stellar bottom-line numbers.

Reading today's box score, you'd note that Schlittler threw 7 innings of 1-run ball, with 7 strikeouts, while scattering 6 hits and 4 walks. Some would note the walks, but otherwise it's a good looking line. He also has a 1.82 ERA. It's tough to argue with those numbers, and he's almost certainly the AL starter in the All-Star Game were that game to played next week. But look a bit deeper, and cracks are starting to show.

Schlittler is managing contact really well this season and prior to yesterday, he limits walks stunningly well. However, as the summer moves along, he seems more hittable. The Jays whiffed on just 24% of Schlittler's pitches, which isn't bad, it's just less than one would expect for someone with Schlittler's stuff. His hard cutter was his best pitch, generating whiffs at a 36% rate on Saturday, which seems great.

However, I think Schlittler is starting to become predictable as a pitcher, and really needs to change up his arsenal a bit. Last season, his cutter was really two different pitches: a hard cutter (like what you see right now), and a slightly slower cutter that he used like a short slider low and away to righties and down and in to lefties. It gave Schlittler a different look and helped give him another velocity lane in which to work which messed with hitters' timing. Just go back to last year's electric playoff outing against the Red Sox for evidence.

All pitchers are forced to adapt throughout a season, and I think Schlittler is hitting that point, as good as he's been.

Bednar's Back

He's pitching like "El Oso" again. For another outing, Bednar's velocity was up significantly and his splitter was incredibly sharp. Whatever dead arm he had coming out of the WBC seems to have vanished. Bednar struck out the side to close out the 9th yesterday, and he was absolutely dominant. This version of Bednar looks like one of the best closers in the game. The Yankees could use that.

Houdini Makes Us Sweat

I love Fernando Cruz, and he has a flair for the dramatic, but he sure can make me nervous. Cruz walked the bases loaded with 2-outs before getting out of the self-created jam. I know it's part of the Cruz experience, but I need to keep Tums by the TV when he pitches.

Thank God Goldy's Back

Where would the Yankees be without Paul Goldschmidt right now? I was totally against re-signing him, and complained mightily in April that he was taking up a roster spot. Shows you how much I know.

Goldy's game-winning homer was his 9th of the season. Since May 3rd, he's hitting .319/.379/.571. As guys have gone down, Goldy has been the ideal middle-of-the-order hitter from the right side. I couldn't imagine him on the roster in April; I don't know where the Yankees would be without him now. Goldy was the hero of the game, but he might just be the hero of the Yankees' season, which is saying something when you consider how Belli and Rice have played this year.