The Blue Jays Pummel the Yankees To Take ALDS Sport 1

At the moment final yr, the Blue Jays confronted some critical uncertainty. They’d simply completed final within the AL East, they usually had just one extra season assured with each Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette on their roster. The longer term turned even murkier throughout the winter, when the Yankees and Pink Sox have been each beefing up, the Orioles have been nonetheless anticipated to be good, and the Rays have been, effectively, the Rays. Each Guerrero and Bichette turned the topic of commerce rumors; actually, there have been questions on whether or not or not Toronto would simply blow all of it up.

Oh, how issues have modified. In early April, the Jays prolonged Vladito by means of the top of the subsequent decade, after which they caught fireplace. And now, one yr after coming in final, they completed tied with the Yankees for the perfect file within the American League and took the division as a result of they gained the season sequence between the 2 groups. For that cause, Toronto hosted Sport 1 of the Division Collection in opposition to the New York on Saturday, and after the Jays bludgeoned the Yankees, 10-1, perhaps it’s the boys from the Bronx who must be feeling a little bit of self doubt.

As a franchise, the Yankees have performed 441 postseason video games; this loss ranks as considered one of their worst playoff humiliations ever:

Saturday was the Yankees’ worst playoff loss since their 16-1 shellacking by the hands of the Pink Sox in 2018. For many who have forgotten that recreation, or at the least have tried to neglect it, that was the one the place the Sox tagged Luis Severino early and Brock Holt (!!!) hit for the primary cycle in postseason historical past.

In opposition to the Blue Jays, the Yankees began reigning AL Rookie of the 12 months Luis Gil, who was left off the Wild Card Collection roster after beginning the ultimate recreation of the common season, when the Yankees have been nonetheless in pursuit of the first-round bye that Toronto barely secured. In his two postseason begins final yr, Gil didn’t make it to the fifth inning; on Saturday, he couldn’t make it a full three frames.

The Jays pounced rapidly within the first, with Gil throwing a middle-inside changeup that fooled Guerrero about as successfully as a toddler making an attempt to cover by overlaying their head with a blanket. That’s not a location the place pitchers will usually throw offspeed stuff to Vlad, and after the best way he unleashed his bat pace on this one, they gained’t be rethinking their strategy for him anytime quickly.

The day didn’t go significantly better for Gil after the Guerrero homer. Alejandro Kirk led off the second inning with a solo shot of his personal, smacking a 95-mph fastball into the group with the second-fastest bat pace on any ball in play of the evening, at 84.7 mph.

The Yankees have been nonetheless solely down 2-0 at this level, however the Blue Jays have been hitting Gil exhausting. Six of their batted balls in opposition to him registered an exit velocity of at the least 95 mph. Recognizing that his starter didn’t have it, supervisor Aaron Boone went to left-handed sidearmer Tim Hill to face the lefty-heavy a part of the Toronto lineup with a runner on first and two outs within the third.

Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman fared significantly better than Gil. He attacked the zone early and bought a whole lot of fast outs consequently. Six of the 9 batters in New York’s lineup have been lefties, however Gausman’s profile limits the effectiveness of taking part in for platoon benefits in opposition to him: He’s lengthy had a legit reverse platoon break up because of his filthy splitter, which he makes use of aggressively in any rely. He didn’t rack up a ton of strikeouts, however the splitter did its job, getting 10 whiffs on 17 swings. Fortune did the remainder of the job for him; of the 4 balls hit with an exit velocity north 100 mph, he solely gave up the 2 singles.

Nevertheless, Gausman’s command failed him within the sixth, offering the Yankees with their solely actual scoring alternative. Anthony Volpe doubled to begin issues off, and after an Austin Wells single, they’d runners on the corners, no one out, and the highest of their order arising. Trent Grisham, who’d swung at and bought out on the primary pitch from Gausman in his first two at-bats, determined it was perhaps a good suggestion to take a pitch. Three of them really, all for balls. Behind 3-0, Gausman discovered the zone for strike one, then bought Grisham to foul off a center-cut fastball for strike two, earlier than strolling him. Bases loaded. No person out. Aaron Choose on the plate. Gausman hunkered down, and with the rely full, bought Choose to flail at a sinker tumbling low and outdoors the zone.

That matchup appeared to have taken quite a bit out of Gausman, as a result of he walked the subsequent batter, Cody Bellinger, on 4 pitches to herald the Yankees’ solely run of the sport. After Ben Rice popped out to 3rd base for the second out, Blue Jays supervisor John Schneider known as on Louis Varland to face Giancarlo Stanton, hanging him out with a 100.7-mph fastball to flee the jam.

For a very good stretch of the center innings, it regarded like the sport was settling right into a low-scoring affair. Hill after which Camilo Doval mixed to permit just one hit in 3 1/3 innings in reduction of Gil. The issue was the whole Yankees bullpen struggled to overlook bats; over 6 1/3 innings of labor, their relievers mixed for only one strikeout. The Jays have been largely profitable all afternoon at placing the ball in play, and when you are able to do that persistently, it’s solely so lengthy till the BABIP gods smile upon you. That’s exactly what occurred within the seventh.

Boone introduced in Luke Weaver. His final trip, in Sport 1 of the AL Wild Card Collection in opposition to the Pink Sox, Weaver confronted three batters with out recording an out in an inning that bought away from the Yankees. And in Sport 1 of the ALDS in opposition to the Blue Jays, Weaver confronted three batters with out recording an out in an inning that bought away from the Yankees. After issuing a leadoff stroll to Daulton Varsho, Weaver allowed back-to-back singles to Anthony Santander — whom I completely forgot existed — and Andrés Giménez to make it a 3-1 recreation. Subsequent in from the bullpen was Fernando Cruz, and after a failed sacrifice bunt try by Ernie Clement, George Springer walked and Nathan Lukes doubled dwelling two extra runs. Guerrero then lifted a sac fly for the fifth run of the inning. At that time, it was Paul Blackburn mopup time.

The Jays completed the Yankees off within the eighth with two extra doubles, three extra singles, and Kirk hitting his second homer of the sport. All that was left was for Jeff Hoffman to shut out the rout within the ninth.

It’s exhausting to discover a silver lining in a 10-1 loss within the playoffs, and the perfect I can handle is noting that by the ZiPS projections, this was the one projected recreation by which the Blue Jays have been favored, by a slight margin. Having this occur with Max Fried or Carlos Rodón on the mound would have been a bit extra damaging for the Yankees, and whereas the bullpen bought a exercise, New York didn’t have to make use of both David Bednar or Devin Williams.

Sport 1 of the ALDS couldn’t probably have gone higher for the Blue Jays. With their ace on the mound at dwelling in opposition to New York’s no. 4 starter, it was a recreation they needed to win. On Sunday, with Fried getting the ball reverse rookie Trey Yesavage in Sport 2 of the best-of-five sequence, the Yankees would be the ones dealing with a must-win state of affairs.