Yankees fall, 3-0, to Blue Jays in home opener despite six scoreless from Marcus Stroman
Marcus Stroman pitched six scoreless innings in his second start of the season but a no-decision to show for it as the Yankees were held in check by the Toronto Blue Jays, 3-0, spoiling the home opener at Yankee Stadium on Friday.
New York had just seven base runners through eight innings and got just two runners in scoring position as they rarely threatened.
It was the first time the Yanks were shut out on their home opener since 1967.
New York fell to 6-2 on the season, dropping their first game to an AL East foe. Toronto improved to 4-4.
Here are the takeaways...
- The Yankee Stadium debutants had a bit of a shaky start when George Springer lined the game’s first pitch to the opposite field and Juan Soto misplayed the ball on a hop allowing the Jays' leadoff hitter to cruise into second. A generous hometown official scorer ruled it a double. But Stroman got out of the frame without any damage.
Stroman ran into trouble in the fourth, starting with Jon Berti not being able to handle a hard smash to third (101.1 mph) off Justin Turner’s bat. After getting a little help on a 3-2 strike-three call from home plate umpire Emil Jimenez on a pitch just off the corner, Cavan Biggio shot a double down the right field line, but the slow-footed Turner was held at third. Stroman would escape via a shallow pop-up to right.
The right-hander was really mixing his pitches, with Statcast labeling six different offerings: Sinker, cutter, fastball, slurve, slider, and splitter.
His final line: an effective 6.0 innings, three hits (two doubles), one walk and six strikeouts on 98 pitches (57 strikes).
- Completing the other half of the pitcher's duel was Toronto starter Yusei Kikuchi, who allowed just four hits and two walks (both to Aaron Judge) to go with seven strikeouts in 5.1 innings.
Unfortunately for the Yanks, the Jays bullpen combo of Yimi Garcia, Genesis Cabrera, and Trevor Richards needed just 26 pitches to get the next five outs. Richards stayed on in the eighth to strike out the side, getting Jose Trevino and Gleyber Torres looking and Soto swinging.
Ex-Yankee Chad Green allowed two-out singles to Anthony Rizzo and Anthony Volpe in the ninth, but Alex Verdugo got under a fastball and flew out to right to end the game.
- The game’s first run came on the second pitch left-hander Caleb Ferguson threw to start the seventh inning on a 407-foot, 104.9 mph homer to left by pinch-hitter Ernie Clement.
The bullpen allowed further damage as Dennis Santana, working his second inning of relief in the ninth, gave up a pair of one-out singles and was lifted for Nick Burdi. Unfortunately, the righty was wild, walking the first man he faced and throwing his second wild pitch of the inning to bring in the game's second run while walking the second batter he faced.
Burdi's third wild pitch of the inning scored the third run of the game before he finally managed to get out of the inning with a strikeout and soft liner to second.
- Volpe continued his hot start to the season by going the other way for a single his first at-bat, but was gunned down at second on a perfect throw from Toronto catcher Alejandro Kirk. He would finish the day 2-for-4.
- Soto, who used Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” as his walk-up song, grounded out in his first at-bat. He finished 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts.
- Giancarlo Stanton struck out in each of his first two times up. The DH has gone down on strikes in 13 of his first 24 at-bats to start the year. He finished the day 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
- Less than three hours before the first pitch, the area experienced a 4.8 earthquake originating near Whitehouse Station, New Jersey.
Highlights
Upcoming schedule
These two teams are back in action on Saturday night in the Bronx. Right-hander Clarke Schmidt (05.06 ERA) will get the ball for New York, facing off against fellow righty Kevin Gausman (2.08 ERA).
