*Photo from FOX 46 Charlotte*
The New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays entered their game Monday night heading in different directions. The Blue Jays have been on a tear, winning 6 of their last 10 games and leapfrogging the Yankees in the AL East and overall playoff race. The Yankees entered having lost 13 of their last 18 games, falling in the standings, and with more teams closing in on them, having to win games by any means possible. Unfortunately for them, it didn't happen Monday night. Danny Jansen hit a grand slam, the Blue Jays hung 10 runs on the Yankees in one inning, and Toronto won 12-7.
The Yankees started the scoring, with Luke Voit and Aaron Hicks hitting back to back solo homers in the first inning to make it 2-0. Toronto got one back in the bottom of the first on a Rowdy Tellez RBI double. Toronto tied it at two in the second on a Santiago Espinal RBI single. In the 4th, Miguel Andujar gave the Yankees the lead right back on a solo homer. They built on it, with a Clint Frazier two run double in the 5th and a bases loaded walk by Hicks in the 6th, making it 6-2. Then, it all fell apart. In the bottom of the 6th, Espinal scored on a fielders choice, Vladimir Guerrero Jr hit a two run single, Lourdes Gurriel Jr hit an RBI single, Travis Shaw hit a two run single, and Jansen ripped a grand slam, making it 12-6 Toronto. The Yankees got one more run on an Andujar groundout in the 9th, making it 12-7 Toronto.
The Yankees lost their 4th straight game and their 14th in their last 19 games. Because of their skid, they now hold the 8th and final playoff spot in the AL, and don't have a very tight hold on it either, as the Baltimore Orioles are just 1.5 games behind them. In the 6th, Adam Ottavino, Chad Green, and Luis Cessa needed 67 pitches and 43 minutes just to get 3 outs. Ottavino didn't even get one out in his appearance, and got the loss.
Ottavino even suggested that Toronto may have known what was coming, saying after the game that ''It's just bizarre, myself and Greeny didn't get any swing and misses that whole inning. Not getting swing-and-misses is an indication of either my stuff wasn't good, my location wasn't good, or they had something on me, they had a great approach, or knew what was coming.'' In empty stadiums in 2020, seeing someone sitting in the stands illegally stealing signs would be distinguishable right out of the gate, in the first pitch of the season. So, I'm sure Toronto wasn't stealing any signs illegally.
Sean Reid-Foley got the win for Toronto, working the 6th inning for Toronto. Reid-Foley allowed one run on one hit and 3 walks, getting one strikeout. Hyun-Jin Ryu started for Toronto, getting a no decision in 5 innings pitched. Ryu allowed 5 runs on 6 hits and two walks, striking out 5 hitters. Jordan Merryweather and Anthony Bass also pitched for Toronto, with Bass allowing one run on the Andujar groundout in the 9th.
The Blue Jays and Yankees are scheduled to play 9 more times in 19 days. Montoyo says of that scheduling that ''It's almost a playoff game every game, the way we did it, down in the game, and facing their best relievers and coming back, that was a great win.'' Jansen spoke about his big grand slam, saying that ''The quality of at-bats, with the walks, is where it started, Ottavino has run, so I tried to get the ball in the air. I tried to simplify things as best as I can, and I happened to drive a ball. It just happened to work out.''
The series continues on Tuesday, where the Yankees will look for a bounce back start from JA Happ. New acquisition Taijuan Walker gets the start for the Blue Jays.
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