About Yesterday: Yankees 8, Blue Jays 1

By Mike Whiteman July 1, 2024 Born on this day in 1883 was Jack Quinn. During his fascinating 23-year career, Quinn was a New York Highlander from 1909-1912, then was a Yankee between 1919 and 1921, winning 18 games in 1920. He won 247 games in his MLB career (with a 114 ERA+), 41 more games in the Pacific Coast League, which at the time was filled with past and future major leaguers, and tallied 335 total wins across majors and minors. He was an effective relief pitcher up to age 48, when he led the National League in saves. https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/q/quinnja01.shtml https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/Jack-Quinn/

This Day in 1990 was the infamous Andy Hawkins no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox. Hawkins' "gem" was marred by the Yanks committing three errors in the eighth inning, which led to four unearned runs as the Chisox won 4-0. https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHA/CHA199007010.shtml

https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/july-1-1990-andy-hawkins-no-hitter-is-no-winner-for-yankees/

Quick Stats: The Yankees are 54-32, and are tied for first place in the American League East. Gerrit Cole earned his first win of 2024, and 146th of his career. Aaron Judge is on pace for 58 home runs and 154 RBI. He also leads the AL in doubles with 23. If he continues leading in both categories he joins an exclusive club with Nap Lajoie, Tris Speaker, Heinie Zimmerman, Rogers Hornsby, Chuck Klein, Joe Medwick, Hank Greenberg, Ted Williams, Willie Stargell, and Albert Belle. Lots of Hall of Famers there. Big Story: The original posted lineup had a 2022 feel to it - Aaron Judge and eight other guys (well, with Volpe it's a bit better). Then shortly before the game started, a new lineup was revealed, this one that basically replaced JD Davis with Juan Soto, who had missed Saturday's game after injuring his hand sliding home in Friday's rout of the Blue Jays. The addition paid immediate dividends. The game started out exactly the way we want it to - Soto singled in the first and scored on an Aaron Judge home run, the 31st of his season.

The Yankees added two more in the second on an RBI single by DJ LeMahieu and bases loaded walk by Soto. After allowing a run to Toronto in the third, they added thee more in the fifth, powered by doubles from LeMahieu and Trent Grisham. An RBI double by Ben Rice in the sixth capped the Yankee scoring for the day. It would be more than enough.

Gerrit Cole was on the mound for the Yankees, and he held the Blue Jays in check, allowing only the one run through five innings. While the Yankee ace struggled early, he looked more like himself as the game went on, retiring the last seven hitters he faced. After Cole exited, Michael Tonkin, Tim Hill, and Josh Maciejewski held Toronto scoreless the rest of the way, and the Yankees had a nice win and a series split. Yankees 8, Blue Jays 1. Player of the Game: A lot of folks had good games, but Cole's good start and great finish is a big deal to this team. Cole not only brings his pitching ability, but the ace "aura" to the team. A healthy, productive Cole goes a long way towards a strong second half of the season. Notable Performances: Grisham had two hits yesterday and slashed .286/.381/.657 for the month of June....Gleyber Torres since his "reset" has three games in a row with multiple hits...Ben Rice ripped an RBI double in the sixth and walked twice...Alex Verdugo had a double and a likely home run robbed by centerfielder extraordinaire Kevin Kiermaier...LeMahieu looked really good yesterday - two hits and two RBI...Old friend Chad Green spun a scoreless eighth for Toronto - wouldn't he look good in the Yankee bullpen right now? Better to Forget: Verdugo was called for a pitch clock violation - being in the batters box but not ready to hit at the eight second mark - in the fourth with Judge and Soto on base, producing strike three and ending the inning...Home plate umpire Tom Hanahan was the subject of ire from both sides, as it looked like he missed a number of ball/strike calls...Volpe was the only Yankee in the lineup without a hit, and struck out three times. They Said It: "We went through a lot of exercises and treatments before the game and started hitting in the cage, and feeling better and better" - Juan Soto on the events before being added to the lineup just before the start of the game. My Take: Boy, there were a lot of good signs yesterday: For the first three innings, Gerrit Cole Labored through the Toronto lineup. He had held the to only one run, but it didn't look good. His pitch count was high, and his frustration was evident. Then he cruised through the fourth and fifth innings, and hopefully this was a building block. The lineup after Volpe, Soto and Judge produced! Batting order spots four through nine had nine hits, scored six runs, and drive in five. Verdugo hit the ball hard, Rice looked locked in, and looks like he belongs. Torres had another good game after his benching, LeMahieu produced in the clutch, and Grisham capped off his solid June with a nice game. Soto and Judge aren't going to hit everyday, and yesterday was a hopeful sign that the lineup could develop and sustain some length. Next Up: The Yanks have an off day today, and are back in Yankee Stadium against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday. Luis Gil (9-3, 3.15) starts against Graham Ashcraft (4-4, 5.45).