- Benjamin Gerstel
Severino silences Guerrero Jr., as the Yankees win 3-0
After Vladimir Guerrero Jr. single-handedly beat the Yankees on Wednesday, New York had a clean slate tonight. A rain delay caused the first pitch to be thrown nearly an hour and a half later than scheduled, but thankfully the game was able to be played tonight. The bit of rain wasn’t going to stop these division rivals from closing out their series.
Fast forward to the second inning, after both teams left runners stranded in the first. With the bases loaded, and just one out, Springer had a chance to repeat the success he had in the first game of the series. A costly D.J. Lemahieu error to Rizzo at first, set up the bases loaded for the former Houston. Giancarlo Stanton got a huge out, and made an accurate throw to the cutoff to hold Kirk at third base. The Yankees were able to save themselves from allowing one, and the game remained tied, with the bases loaded, for Bo Bichette. Luis Severino, to kick off the at-bat, hit Bichette with a scorching 99 mph fastball, and then a 91 mph slider down and away. WIth an 0-2 count, and the bases loaded, Bichette continued to fight back, with a foul tip of his own. Bichette already had a double in the first inning to deep right center, so Severino needed to get this out. Fortunately for the Yankees, Severino was dealing, and he got the Yankees out of another early jam.
In the bottom of the third, a chopped blooper from Jose Trevino sent Kinler-Faefa home, as the ball bounced high off of Rafael Tapía. He lost it in the air, and was turning his head multiple times before he saw his teammate tracking it down. During this allotted time, Kiner-Falefa was able to score from second, and the Yankees got their first run of the day. It wasn’t pretty, but when Toronto has players like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., you need every run you can get. Trevino actually hit the ball twice, upon further review, which might’ve been the reason why Espinol misjudged the ball. Either way, the Yankees were still up one, with a man on second and one out. Donaldson was also up, who is certainly an offensive threat. With a 3-2 count, after almost getting nailed by a 96mph pitch, Donaldson got caught looking at a wonderful pitch from Gausman. Gausman sniped the bottom left corner, and got the Blue Jays one step closer to getting out of the inning. The Yanks still had Judge remaining, but he ended up popping out to center field and the Yankees were retired. However, it wasn’t before they got the first run up on the board.
Through the first five innings, the Yankees were able to maintain this short lead. Severino’s pitching was the main reason they accomplished this. “Sevy” had 6 strikeouts, 2 walks, and he let up just two hits through the first half of the game. For good measure, he was also the only pitcher in Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s career, who has struck him out three times in a game. After giving up three home runs to him last night, Severino shut down the young superstar tonight. Gausman was solid in his own right, with 7 K’s, 0 walks, and 1 ER, but his defense hasn’t supported him. Espinal had that one error earlier, which led to the run, and then Toronto had another poor defensive play in the fifth. Kiner-Falefa was able to reach second safely, after another ball was mistimed. It was Toronto’s second major error of the day, and it gave the Yankees a man in scoring position. Trevino came up clutch again, as he blooped another hit, and Kiner-Falefa was able to send in another run home. Considering how many double plays Toronto had last night, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s snag at first, it’s surprising to see how Toronto’s defense has failed them. Yet, we saw the New York Yankees up 2-0 in the bottom of the fifth. Trevino had a heroic effort so far tonight, and the Yankees were able to suppress the Blue Jays.
As Severino’s day ended, Luetge was now on the mound for New York. His first inning had a high pitch count, and some drama as well. With a man on second, and a full count, Luetge struck out Biggio and the Yankees continued their dominance on the mound. In just one inning, Luetge had three strikeouts, and the Yankees continued to keep Toronto in their place. Gausman struck out Judge in the bottom of the 6th frame, for his ninth K of the day, as he put on a nasty performance of his own. New York had just one more hit than Toronto (4), and players like Donaldson and Stanton went down swinging multiple times. However, a combination of weak offense and costly defensive errors hindered Toronto’s chances of coming back. With two outs, LeMahieu ripped a single, after Stanton launched one of his own that bounced off the warning track. Gausman just couldn’t get out of this inning, and Toronto pulled him as the Yankees piled on. Runs are scored in bunches in today’s game, so the Yankees know that a two run lead is very flimsy. Tim Mayza locked in against Gallo with a few warm up pitches, as he attempted to retire the Yankees with men on first and second. Mayza got Toronto out of the jam, and he struck out Gallo on three straight pitches. This inning could’ve been a lot worse for Toronto, but Mayza got the Blue Jays out of a difficult position.
By the seventh inning, the ponchos were out in full force, as rain continued to pour on Yankee Stadium. Despite some adverse weather, play continued, and Toronto continued to fight back as the Yankees scored another run in the eighth. Toronto had two hits in the ninth, but a double play was turned by New York. With just one inning left, the circumstances were looking gloom for Toronto, as they had just one shot left to come back. Aroldis Chapman arrived to close the game and went down early to a hitter’s count of 3-0. The Cuban Missile walked Craig Biggio’s son, and set up a man on first for Santiago Espinal. Espinal again, had a hitters count with 2-1, as Chapman struggled to maintain his composure. Chapman walked his first two batters, and the tying run came up at the plate. Another pitch got by Trevino after it hit the plate, and there was real concern for Chapman after he walked his third batter, with boos reverberating around Yankee Stadium. Boone stepped out after just three batters, and he pulled him out after just 16 pitches.
Michael King relieved, and immediately struck out George Springer in a stellar at-bat. Things didn’t get any easier for him, as Bo Bichette was waiting on deck. King delivered his fourth straight strike, and then LeMahieu made a phenomenal play. The Yankees second baseman caught a blooper that barely left the outfield, and he turned around and picked off Chapman at first for the double play. After Chapman struggled to close out the game, Michael King delivered, and the Yankees split the series with Toronto. Without the efforts from Trevino, Kiner-Falefa, Severino, and King, the Yankees might be looking at a completely different outcome tonight. Trevino’s 2 RBI’s are the second-most in his career, and his 15th career multi-RBI game. After Vladimir Guerrero Jr. torched New York last night, the Yankees were able to close out the win in an electrifying season finale.
