The New York Yankees wasted another fantastic outing from rookie starter Cam Schlittler on Wednesday night against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Yankees’ bullpen faltered yet again, leading to a 5-2 loss that ended New York’s season.
The Blue Jays rode a strong bullpen game, winning their ALDS series 3-1. The victory propelled the Jays to their first ALCS appearance since 2016.
The Yankees got 6.1 innings from Schlittler, who provided the only quality start by a New York starter in the series. Before Schlittler’s great outing, Max Fried was the only starter to pitch at least three innings.
But with the Blue Jays rallying in the seventh inning, Aaron Boone gave Schlittler the hook. In came Devin Williams, who surrendered a two-run single to Nathan Lukes to make the game 4-1. Yankee Stadium fell silent at that point as the game seemed to get beyond reach.
The Blue Jays added one more run in the eighth inning off Camilo Doval, before David Bednar finally closed the door.
The Yankees got one run back on an RBI base hit by Aaron Judge. However, Toronto closer Jeff Hoffman shut the door, locking down his first save of the postseason. The game ended with the Blue Jays celebrating their first postseason series victory in nearly a decade.
For the Yankees, questions will follow this offseason as the team picks up the pieces following a disastrous end to their season.
Yankees Bats Could Not Pick Up Schlittler
The Yankees’ bats could not pick up Cam Schlittler in Game 4. The Yanks’ starter bought the club enough time to score runs to take the lead. He left the game trailing by a run in the seventh inning.
Even with the game 4-1 in the eighth, the Yankees’ bats just couldn’t get through the Blue Jays’ stellar bullpen. The Yankees left 10 baserunners aboard on the night. They managed just six hits. Ryan McMahon did his part, hitting a solo shot in the game.
McMahon’s dinger tied the game at one in the bottom of the third. Beyond that, the Jays’ eight pitchers struck out 10 batters, with Hoffman striking out Cody Bellinger to end the game and the series.
Blue Jays Pound Yanks in Three Victories
Except for Game 3’s 9-6 win, the Yankees weren’t even close to the Blue Jays in the series. In Game 1, the Jays notched a 10-1 win. Game 2 saw another double-digit offensive performance by Toronto, taking the game 13-7. Then, Game 4 was a 5-2 victory that seemed much more lopsided than the score suggested.
All told, the Blue Jays outscored 28-10 in their three victories and 34-19 overall in the series. The Yankees did not get timely hits except for Aaron Judge’s massive three-run homer to tie the score in Game 3.
The Yankees did not get the hits or the runs they needed to get past an upstart Toronto team that looks to be on a mission this season. Now, the Blue Jays will head back to Toronto to await the winner of the Tigers-Mariners series, which is slated to go a fifth game.
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