About Last Night: Jays 9, Yanks 3

By Andy Singer

June 30th, 2024

The Big Story

This game did not have to get away from the Yankees like it did, but from the very first inning, it was clear that the team was going to allow themselves to lose this game. 9 runs is a lot to allow, but it didn't need to be that way. 3 runs doesn't sound like much, but it could have been more. From the players to the coaches, everyone owns this loss.

Ben Rice roped a good single with one out in the first inning, and Aaron Judge followed it with a terrifying single of his own, giving Chris Bassitt a whopper of a shiner on his arm in the process. With Verdugo in a two-strike count and one out, the Yanks attempted a double-steal, with Rice attempting to swipe 3rd. Verdugo was called out on strikes looking, while Rice was thrown out at 3rd base (he was initially called safe by the ump, but it was overturned on review). Instead of Gleyber Torres coming to the plate with two on and 2 out, he never got a chance to drive runs in.

Nestor Cortes very clearly did not have even his C+ command yesterday afternoon, but like a crafty lefty, he battled. He gave up two runs in the first inning on a homer from Vlad Guerrero Jr., but mostly limited the damage until the 4th and 5th innings. In the 5th inning, Cortes began with a strike out looking, but quickly put allowed a double to Bichette and a single to IKF to put runners at the corners with one out.

With an ever thinner bullpen, the Yanks called on Jake Cousins, who was recently recalled from AAA, to try to put out the fire. Frankly, he looked like the best reliever we've seen out of the Yankee bullpen in some time. After an impressive 4-pitch strikeout against Vlad Guerrero Jr., which included two whiffs by Guerrero, Cousins got a 3-pitch groundout on Justin Turner to end the inning. It was great, efficient pitching. I expected to see Cousins in the 6th inning after a 7-pitch 5th. It wasn't meant to be.

For all intents and purposes, the game ended in the 6th inning when Phil Bickford was sent to the mound. You don't need the blow-by-blow; it was as ugly as it sounds when you say that the Jays scored 5 runs in the 6th inning. Bickford allowed a run, got two outs, and then couldn't put anyone away, loading the bases and allowing another run in the process. Caleb Ferguson was promptly called upon to stop the bleeding, but his struggles continued, allowing all 3 inherited runners to score on his 3rd pitch.

The Jays tacked on a late run and Austin Wells homered in the 9th, but this game was over in the 6th inning. To add injury to insult, the Yanks seem concerned about Soto's hand injury despite a clean x-ray, and Volpe's foot/ankle seemed to get banged up on a collision at 1B, though he remained in the game (a function of the fact that he felt OK, or rather that there are no other SS on the roster?).

Quick Stats

Nestor Cortes (L) - 4.1 IP, 7 H, 1 BB, 5 K, 3 ER

Chris Bassitt (W) - 6 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, 8 K, 0 ER

Vlad Guerrero Jr. - 3-5, 1 HR, 6 RBI

IKF - 4-5, 1 RBI

Austin Wells - 2-4, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Notable Performances

Ben Rice - 2-4, 1 2B

Austin Wells - 2-4, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Aaron Judge - 2-3, 1 BB, 1 RBI

Gleyber Torres - 2-4, 1 R

Better To Forget

Anthony Volpe - 0-4, 2 K

Trent Grisham - 0-4, 3 K

Oswaldo Cabrera - 0-4, 2 K

Alex Verdugo - 0-4, 2 K

Phil Bickford - 0.2 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 5 ER

My Take

This loss is on everyone. I want to know who called for that double steal in the first inning. If it was Rojas, the 3B Coach, how are you coaching at the MLB level? If it was Ben Rice's idea to steal 3B as one of the slower players on the team, what are you thinking, and why wasn't he benched to think about what he did? In either scenario, it's an awful look, and it killed the Yankees' run expectancy when they started hot on offense. And yes, despite Verdugo's protests, the pitch was a strike on the corner.

Now we get to the 6th inning. What was Boone thinking by sending Bickford out there in the 6th inning? Cousins was fantastic the inning before and he only threw 7 pitches. Bickford has been awful, bad enough to forget about how bad Ferguson has pitched. So those are the two you call on when times get tough?!? Just bad decisions all around.

Unfortunately, we'll forget about the fact that Ben Rice and Austin Wells send liners all over the field in this game. Or maybe not. My glass half-full take is that maybe we'll remember this as the game where Rice cemented himself as a big league hitter, and Wells turned his season around. Or we'll just remember it as a giant lost opportunity.

Looking To Tomorrow

Gerrit Cole faces off against Kevin Gausman tomorrow afternoon. Let's hope he looks like Cole, and the Yanks steal victory from the jaws of defeat.