TORONTO — While the Yankees’ early-inning pitching plans created conversation prior to Monday’s game, it was Blue Jays ace Alek Manoah who struggled in the opening frame.
Aaron Judge, who hit his record-tying 61st home run at Rogers Centre last September, laced a solo shot off the righty in his return to the ballpark. The home run foreshadowed an erratic night for Manoah, who didn’t escape the first before also surrendering a two-run homer to Willie Calhoun.
The Yankees tacked on two more runs in the fourth inning when Anthony Volpe doubled and later scored on a single from Kyle Higashioka. Judge then walked with the bases loaded to make it 5-0, a nice cushion in what became a 7-4 Yankees win.
The damage could’ve been worse for Manoah, as he walked seven batters, thus continuing the 2022 Cy Young finalist’s issues with command. He completed just four innings while also surrendering six hits and five earned over 92 pitches. Manoah struck out three.
The Bombers added another run in the sixth inning when Anthony Rizzo doubled. A seventh followed in the eighth when Judge hit his second homer of the game — a 462-foot bomb that proceeded an enraged Aaron Boone getting ejected for arguing a low strike call against the slugger.
The Yankees went the unconventional route on the mound, as reliever Jimmy Cordero played the part of opener. Jhony Brito had been in line to start, but the rookie carried a .292/.347/.631 slash line against right-handed hitters into Monday’s game. With the Jays’ boasting righties George Springer, Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at the top of their lineup, Boone tabbed Cordero, who began the day with a .171/.256/.257 slash line against righties.
The move worked out well, as Cordero threw two scoreless innings, thanks in part to some defensive help from Volpe and Jake Bauers.
Brito, meanwhile, entered in the third and kept the Blue Jays off the board until the eighth inning, when a Gleyber Torres error on a potential double play ball helped the Jays score four total runs. Brito only earned two of those, while Ian Hamilton and Michael King finished off the rocky inning.
Nonetheless, the Yankees held their lead. They will look to gain more ground in the American League East on Tuesday, when Domingo German opposes Kevin Gausman.
The right-handed German owns a 4.00 ERA this season and only allowed four earned runs over his last three starts. Toronto scored four runs, including two homers off him, on April 21 at Yankee Stadium. Gausman, meanwhile, dominated the Yankees that day, striking out 11 and walking none over seven scoreless innings.
The righty has a 3.38 ERA through eight starts.
Gerrit Cole will pitch for the Yankees on Wednesday, while Chris Bassitt will throw for the Blue Jays. Nestor Cortes faces Jose Berrios on Thursday.
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