Bronx, NY— In a showdown featuring two of baseball’s brightest young pitchers, Trey Yesavage delivered another masterful outing and helped the Toronto Blue Jays secure a 2-1 victory over the New York Yankees on Wednesday night in the Bronx.
Following a rain delay of more than two hours, Yesavage and Yankees rookie Cam Schlittler engaged in a tense pitchers’ duel that kept both offenses quiet deep into the game. Neither starter blinked until the seventh inning, when Toronto finally broke through against Schlittler.
The Blue Jays opened the inning with three straight baserunners, beginning with an infield hit, followed by a walk and a perfectly placed bunt single to load the bases with nobody out. Andres Gimenez then produced one of the game’s defining moments, battling through an exhausting 11-pitch plate appearance. After fouling off seven pitches — including five with two strikes — Gimenez drew a bases-loaded walk that forced home Ernie Clement for the game’s first run.
Moments later, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. added insurance with a sacrifice fly to center field, extending Toronto’s lead to 2-0.
That was more than enough support for Yesavage, who continued his sensational start to the season. The 22-year-old right-hander allowed just two hits over six scoreless innings while striking out eight Yankees without issuing a walk. He improved to 2-1 on the year and lowered his ERA to 1.07 through five starts.
Yesavage also continued his remarkable power suppression streak, remaining homerless allowed through the first eight starts of his major league career — the longest such run by a Blue Jays pitcher to begin a career.
Aaron Judge had no answers against the young Toronto ace, striking out in all four of his at-bats, including three times against Yesavage.
Toronto’s bullpen handled the rest. Mason Fluharty, Jeff Hoffman, and Tyler Rogers combined to bridge the gap before Louis Varland entered for the ninth inning. The Yankees mounted a late rally after Varland surrendered two hits and an RBI comebacker by Paul Goldschmidt, but the closer slammed the door by overpowering Amed Rosario with a 99-mph fastball to record his sixth save of the season.
Schlittler was outstanding despite taking the loss. The Yankees rookie gave up two runs on eight hits while striking out seven over 6-plus innings. The defeat dropped his record to 6-2 and raised his ERA slightly to 1.50.
The matchup marked the first regular-season meeting between Yesavage and Schlittler since both emerged as breakout stars during last year’s postseason. Schlittler helped New York eliminate Boston in the AL Wild Card Series with a dominant eight-inning shutout performance, while Yesavage dazzled against the Yankees in the Division Series by tossing 5 1/3 hitless innings with 11 strikeouts in Game 2.
The Yankees also dealt with an injury concern as center fielder Trent Grisham exited in the fifth inning because of discomfort in his left knee. He is expected to undergo further testing on Thursday.
Toronto right fielder Jesus Sanchez also left the game after crashing to the turf while attempting a diving catch in the seventh inning. Manager John Schneider later said Sanchez merely had the wind knocked out of him and is considered day-to-day.
