Thursday, June 7, 2018

Yankees Take Tough 2 vs. Pesky Blue Jays

The Yankees left the world of rainouts and makeups behind, and headed to Toronto, where the one good thing about the Rogers Centre, home of those pesky Blue Jays, formerly known as the SkyDome, is that the roof can close and keep the elements out.

Normally, you want to play in an open-air stadium. This time, the roof may have been a relief.

The Yankees trailed the opener of the 2-game series 1-0 going into the top of the 7th inning. CC Sabathia had pitched a shutout until the 6th, seemingly for naught. But Gary Sanchez led off with a single, Seunghwan Oh hit Didi Gregorius with a pitch (presumably, unintentionally), and he walked Aaron Hicks.

Up came Miguel Andujar. He had not yet hit a grand slam in the major leagues. He did now.

CC allowed a run in the bottom of the 7th, but Aaron Hicks took it back, and then some, with a 3-run dinger of his own in the 8th. Yankees 7, Blue Jays 2. WP: Sabathia (3-1). No save. LP: Oh (1-2).

The next game went on, and on, and on, with no runs. Sonny Gray pitched 8 shutout innings for the Yankees. His opposite number, Sam Gaviglio, pitched 7 shutout innings for the Jays. Chad Green pitched the 9th and the 10th, Dellin Betances the 11th, and David Robertson the 12th. But neither team could find a run. The Yankees couldn't even score in the 10th, against former Yankee game-messer-upper Tyler Clippard.

But with 1 out in the top of the 13th, Brett Gardner singled. Aaron Judge, who had been 0-for-4 until then, cranked one to center field. Home run. After a Greg Bird flyout, Giancarlo Stanton, who had been 0-for-3 until then, launched a shot. Aroldis Chapman set the Jays down in the bottom of the 13th.

Yankees 3, Blue Jays 0. WP: Robertson (4-2). SV: Chapman (15). LP: Joe Biagini (0-5).

And so, after winning 2 games in a fashion a lot harder than the final scores would indicate, the Yankees come back to New York. But not quite "home": They have to play a 3-game weekend series at Citi Field against the Mets.

Time to show them who's the only real baseball team in New York.

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