The Yankees lifted a pair of of long home runs to beat the Blue Jays 5-3 on Thursday night, splitting the doubleheader.
Here are some key takeaways…
– After getting shut out in game one, the Yankees got on the board quickly in the nightcap. After a DJ LeMahieu single and a walk to Aaron Judge, Gio Urshela ripped a double into left-center. LeMahieu scored, but Judge was out at the plate. Still, the Yankees were on the board with a 1-0 lead.
– Jordan Montgomery went six-up, six-down through the firs two innings, but the third inning was a different story. After a double play made it two outs with none on, Montgomery walked Danny Jansen and Marcus Semien, and after a mound visit, Bo Bichette smashed his second home run of the day, this one a three-run shot to put Toronto up 3-1.
– But the Bombers answered back in the bottom half of the inning. Judge worked a 3-0 count and then absolutely demolished a Robbie Ray pitch deep over the center field wall, tying the game at 3-3. Judge’s 13th home run of the season was the big hit the Yankees had been searching for all day.
– The long ball then gave the Yankees the lead in the bottom of the fourth, as Gary Sanchez drilled a line-drive home run well over the wall in left-center. Sanchez’s sixth home run was a 444-foot no-doubt shot that hit off the back of the Toronto bullpen.
-Montgomery pitched into the fifth, when a Semien single chased him with two outs. In all, the lefty went 4.2 innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits. He walked two and only struck out one, but he pitched well enough to be in line for the win.
– The Bombers added a run to their lead in bottom of the fifth, thanks to a little small ball. Tyler Wade reached on a Ray error and stole second, and after a Ray wild pitch later in the inning, he came in to score on a Judge sac fly.
-After getting one inning from Jonathan Loaisiga, Wandy Peralta got a key final out in the sixth, getting Rowdy Tellez to ground out softly with two men on.
Curiously, the Yankees did not warm up Aroldis Chapman even though with a save situation heading into the top of the seventh. Instead, Chad Green was able to come in and close the door to give the Yankees the win.
– Playing in just his second game as a major leaguer, Estevan Florial got the start in center field. Hitting eighth in the order, Florial ripped a double to left in the bottom of the sixth, but on the play, Sanchez was out by a mile at home plate, ending the inning.
Highlights
What’s next
After salvaging one game from the Blue Jays, the Yankees head to Detroit for a weekend series with the Tigers, starting on Friday night at 7:10 p.m. Gerrit Cole will take the mound against fellow righty Casey Mize.