Batting Cleanup: Bichette Happens
The Yankees will see your Randal Grichuk and raise you Kyle Higashioka (Mike Carlson / AP)
Game One: Yankees Win 3-1
We Cannot Ignore That Kyle Higashioka Might Be Babe Ruth
The bats were dormant in game one of the series, but don’t tell Kyle Higashioka that. The backup catcher notched his third career multi-homer game (one each in 2019 and 2020), and second against the Blue Jays to carry the sputtering offense to a victory.
Higgy had a 2-run shot off of Robby Ray in the fifth, and added a solo home run off of Ryan Borucki in the 8th, which Erik Kratz loved, for the 12th dinger of his career. Higshioka’s ratio of 12 home runs to 40 hits (30% of hits are home runs) does not quite reach 2019 Gary Sanchez levels of insanity (37% of Gary’s hits were home runs that year), but far outpaces Babe Ruth’s career mark (about 25%). Of course. Why not?
An Unexpected Duel
Gerrit Cole and Robbie Ray dueled for much of this game. Ray has been the definition of “nothing special” over the course of his career, compiling 8.8 bWAR and pitching to a 4.26 ERA in 158 starts. He has been slightly worse since joining the Blue Jays, pitching to a 4.56 ERA, and just scaring league average with an ERA+ of 98 in his time in Toronto (which has included precisely 0 games in Toronto). All that aside, Ray handles the Yankees well. As a Blue Jay, he has started twice against the Yankees, and surrendered only 6 H and 3 R in 9 IP. Through 4.1 IP in this one, Ray held the Yankees hitless before Rougned Odor singled and Higgy homered to give the Yankees the lead. Ultimately, the Yankees only managed 3 H and 2 R against Ray, but Higashioka’s slugging was enough to get it done.
Cole was phenomenal as always, surviving an apparent lack of stuff early to go 6 IP allowing only 1 R and striking out 8. By game score, it was Cole’s sixth best regular season start as a Yankee, and his second best this year behind his 7-inning gem against Baltimore.
Horses in the Back
The bullpen was flawless, scattering just two hits and a walk over three scoreless innings from Wilson (welcome back), O’Day, and Chapman. Chapman recorded his first save of the year in this game, and also recorded his first out that did not come via the strikeout. Cavan Biggio’s fly out to left was the 10th out Chapman recorded this year, but the first on a ball in play.
Game Two: Yankees Lose 7-3
What can you say about this game? The offense was staggeringly bad. The strike zone was all over the place. Ryu certainly benefited from a wide zone early on. Aaron Hicks might be back? Maybe only as a righty? Shortstop Urshela worked fine. Taillon wasn’t great.
The Erich Bacchus Show
Home plate umpire Erich Bacchus was a giant middle finger in this one, and the call on that pitch to Danny Jansen with two men on and two out in the second inning was particularly offensive. Taillon threw a nice breaking ball into the heart of the zone, and the umpire just missed it. Michael Kay noticed, the K-zone box on the screen noticed, my dad noticed. Come on. You cannot be missing that call as a Major League umpire. The automated strike zone cannot come soon enough. Taillon had to get four strikes against Jansen, couldn’t do it, and walked him. The next batter, Josh Palacios, hit a weak single to the right field side of second and put the Jays up 2-0.
Taillon Tails Off
As Ryu cruised, aided more by the Yankees’ offensive futility than by the umpire, Taillon struggled. The Jays scored again in the third after Bichette advanced to second on a throwing error by Gio Urshela (really an error on the Yankees organization for believing Jay Bruce can pick a ball at first base), moved to third on a single by Guerrero, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Grichuk. With the Jays up 3-0 in the fourth, Taillon fell apart. He got two quick outs, striking out Jansen and getting a Palacios to fly out to Judge, but the third time through the order got him. A home run from Semien put the Jays up 4-0, and Bichette followed it with a double. It looked like the inning might be over after Gary picked up a wild pitch from Jamo and fired to third to nab Bichette who was attempting to advance. Ultimately, Bichette was in before the tag from DJ, and he scored on a double from Guerrero that knocked out Taillon. 3.2 IP, 5 R, 3 K simply will not do it from Jamo. Let’s hope he settles in as the season continues.
Get Rowdy
The bullpen was… fine… Leutge allowed a solo home run to Rowdy Tellez who came into that AB riding a 1-27 streak to start the year. Either that’s really bad, or Rowdy was due. Cessa pitched two scoreless, but ultimately forgettable, innings to continue his strong start to the season. Abreu demonstrated that he is all stuff and no control by allowing a run without allowing a hit. Two walks, a wild pitch, and a sac fly gave Toronto their final 7-run total.
When It Rains It Pours
I’m not going to get into the comeback that wasn’t and Gary’s baserunning error, at least not much. In the top of the 7th, Stanton was on second and Gary was on first with Hicks at the plate and the Yankees down 6-3. Julian Merryweather (a Yankee killer in his own right) threw a ball in the dirt, and Gary got caught unable to decide whether to advance to second or return to first. The Jays got him in a rundown and stopped the comeback in its tracks. These things happen.
If you’re mad at Gary for his baserunning, I hope you’re equally mad at Gardy for his TOOTBLAN in Tampa. If you’ve been mad at Gleyber for his fielding difficulties, I hope you were equally mad at Odor and Gio for their handling of this play.
Game Three: Yankees Lose 5-4
Midday Uncertainty
2018 All Star Ross Stripling was a late scratch, so TJ Zeuch faced off with 2-time Cy Young winner Corey Kluber in the rubber game of this three game set.
Zeuch came into the game with a record of success against the Yankees. Current Bombers (Wade and Ford included) had a triple slash of .212/.297/.318 against him for an OPS of .615. That’s not too far off from Isaiah Kiner-Falefa’s numbers from 2019 (.238/.299/.322) when he produced an OPS+ of 58 (42% below average). Kluber’s performance against current Jays (Springer included) produces a triple slash of .260/.327./.440 for an OPS of .767. That’s in the neighborhood of 2019 Evan Longoria (.254/.325/..437) who was 1% better than league average that year.
The Yankees lineup was… unconventional. It was very balanced, but featured Jay Bruce, Kyle Higashioka, and Brett Gardner instead of LeMahieu, Stanton, and Frazier. LeMahieu and Stanton both got the off-day before the off-day after respectable performances in Tuesday’s game (which included the hardest hit ball of the MLB season by Stanton). The “We Promise Jay Bruce Can Play First Base” tour continued, and Higgy returned to the lineup to keep Gary from catching a day game after a night game. Clint Frazier was kept out of the lineup because… Boone doesn’t want him to get hot? Who knows?
Let’s not pass judgment on a lineup that takes out two of the best hitters in baseball for the opportunity to play Jay Bruce and Kyle Higashioka.
Only joking. Judgment passing time.
The Bats Woke Up… But Went to Sleep Early
Fittingly, it was Judgment Day in the first as Aaron Judge sent a cutter from Zeuch over the wall in left at 101.5 MPH to put the Yankees up 1-0. The ballpark confused John Sterling, but he liked what he saw.
It stayed Judgment Day too. In Judge’s second AB he cranked a 111.9 MPH homer to center field to give Kluber some run support and cut Toronto’s lead to 3-2. This kicked off a period of the Yankees hitting Zeuch hard. Gleyber hit a double to right field at 98.1, and Gio picked up 2 RBI with a 104.1 MPH single to give the Yankees the lead.
The offense stalled after the fourth inning. The only three Yankee baserunners in innings 5 through 9 reached on a single, a walk, and an error, and that ultimately did them in. They have only scored more than 4 runs in a regulation game twice this year.
Some Things Never Change
The double play woes continued. Jay Bruce, who should not be in the lineup, grounded into the team’s 15th double play of the season after Gleyber worked a walk to start the second inning. Respectfully, please hit the ball in the air. Grounding into double plays is not the kind of thing you want to lead the league in.
Old Jay was at it again in the sixth, when he lined into his second double play of the game after another Gleyber walk.
Kluber Finds His Groove?
First of all, let’s appreciate that Kluber got Gurriel to do this, which is pretty cool.
It looked like it all might fall apart for Kluber in the third inning after Bichette homered, and Guerrero singled, but all he allowed the rest of the way was a walk, a HBP, and an infield single. Bichette was the last batter he faced, and Kluber got him to ground into a double play.
Kluber’s final line: 77 pitches, 4.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 4 K. With two home runs allowed and 6 hard-hit balls over 4 innings, it could have been much worse for Kluber. It will be interesting to see if he can continue to be just good enough as he gets stretched out.
Who Want Lasgna?
Jonathan Loaisiga had a strong fifth inning but faltered in the sixth, getting into a bases loaded jam after allowing two singles and hitting Alejandro Kirk with a pitch before recording an out. Tellez scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at 4, but Loaisiga limited the damage by getting Bichette to ground out to Gleyber to end the inning. All in all, his outing (and the game, really) went about the way the video suggests.
After Loaisiga’s uncertain trek through the fifth and sixth, O’Day and Wilson combined to hold the Jays scoreless in the seventh and eighth.
Chad Green came in to pitch the ninth after the Yankees failed to retake the lead, and promptly gave up a walk-off home run to Bo Bichette.
Final line for the bullpen: 4+ IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 K
I Told You Some Things Never Change
Add Alejandro Kirk to the list of Yankee Killers on the Jays, which is now *checks notes* all of them. He came into the game hitting .333 with a .950 OPS against them, and teed off on a breaking ball from Kluber that got far too much of the zone. This followed a shift-beating single from recovering Yankee Killer Rowdy Tellez to put the Jays up 2-1.
Bo Bichette’s reign of terror continued. Already a certified Yankee Killer, he launched an impressive opposite-field home run to lead off the third inning and gave the Jays a 3-1 lead. He led off the ninth inning with his second opposite-field home run of the game to win it for Toronto and give the Jays the 2-1 series win.
Not To Be Missed: TOOTBLAN Contagion
Cavan Biggio appears to have been taking baserunning advice from Gary Sanchez, running into this inexplicable out on a misplayed ball by Aaron Judge in the fifth.
Parting Shots
The Yankees have now lost 3 of their first 4 series of the season and find themselves last in the AL East. They’ll take a much-needed day off tomorrow before hosting the Rays for three games at Yankee Stadium over the weekend.
We’ll have a preview of the Tampa Bay series tomorrow. Let’s go Yankees.
All stats come from Baseball Reference, FanGraphs, and MLB Statcast
