Springer, Bichette and Kirk Homer, Jays Beat Yankees

Blue Jays 7 Yankees 1

My two favourite things are Blue Jays wins and Yankees losses. When you combine the two, well, there are few things better.

Years ago, I saw a study showing that guys tend to do well on their birthdays and George Springer homers to lead off the game on his birthday. I don’t gamble, but if I did, I would put a couple of dollars down on a guy playing on his birthday (his second at-bat didn't go as well). Of course, he also got thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double in the seventh inning.

Of course, the Yankees tied up the game in the bottom of the inning.

Our clean-up hitter, Cavan Biggio, put us up 2-1 in the fourth inning. We should have scored more, but Davis Schneider hit into a force at second, and Daulton Varsho popped to short left field. Matt Chapman ground out to end the inning.

Bo Bichette hit a two-run homer in the fifth (to the opposite field, like Springer, might as well take advantage of the short porch).

Hyun Jin Ryu went five innings plus a batter and came out of the game after shaking out his arm on a ball. He was reaching for his left shoulder. I’m worried, but hopefully it isn’t serious. He allowed 4 hits and 1 walk (on his last batter), with 7 strikeouts and just the 1 earned run.

The Jays tell us it was a cramp in his arm, and I’m choosing to believe that, as he should be able to make his next start if that is the case.

Yimi Garcia entered the game and got Aaron Judge to strike out, the first batter he faced. A Gleyber Torres single brought the tying run to the plate. But Yimi got Giancarlo Stanton to hit into a double play (terrific job by Bo, going to his right and then spinning and throwing to his left to get the out at second. I thought the play was to third, but they got the double play).

Trevor Richards had a quick seventh with two strikeouts—his best outing in a while.

I thought it would be the Jordanaires for the eighth and ninth, but a three-run top of the ninth let us get a look at Nate Pearson instead, in the bottom of the inning. Hicks got two strikeouts in the eighth.

Nate hit 101 on the radar. He did give up a single to Judge but got a strikeout and a Stanton double play (after Stanton swung at and missed a pitch by 3 feet).

Alejandro Kirk hit a two-run homer in the top of the ninth, to make it 6-1 (and he needs no stinking short porch). After Kevin Kiermaier doubled, Springer hit one to the track in right, hoping for a second homer. A Vlad ground ball, called an error on SS Anthony Volpe, made it 7-1.

Jays of the Day: Bo (.280 WPA), Kikuchi (.113), Garcia (.098), and Springer (.097).

The Other Award: No one had the number. Varsho had the low mark at (-.075).

We have Kevin Gausman (11-9, 3.40) vs. Michael King (4-6, 2.77) tomorrow.