By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: Getty Images
The Toronto Blue Jays got off to a strong start to the Division Series after blowing out the New York Yankees 10-1 on Saturday at Rogers Centre.
It’s the team’s first postseason win since 2016.
Here are some key takeaways from Saturday’s game:
Vladimir Guerrero Jr Got His Mojo Back
Vlad Jr has done well against the Yankees throughout his career. However, entering the postseason, he didn’t hit a home run in about a month. His last home run came on September 5 against the Yankees on the road.
He put the Jays on the board in the first inning with a home run. Not only did he do it with his bat, but with his glove as well. He made a good defensive play in the second inning. Vlad Jr finished the game going 3-for-4 with two RBIs.
Yankees Failed on Runners in Scoring Position
When you don’t score with men on base in the playoffs, it will affect your chances to win the game.
The Yankees had a golden opportunity at the top of the sixth inning when they had bases loaded with no outs. They had good hitters on the plate to drive in runs.
Aaron Judge struck out on a bad pitch, which should’ve been ball four if he had not swung at the pitch. Ben Rice followed up and didn’t take advantage of the moment, then Giancarlo Stanton struck out to end the inning. The Yankees couldn’t recover after that one because the Jays would break the game open afterwards.
Alejandro Kirk
Kirk has been incredible all season long for the Blue Jays. He hit two home runs for the Jays. He went 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs and two runs.
Kevin Gausman
Gausman reminded the world on Saturday that he’s still a lethal pitcher to deal with. He pitched an incredible game against a good Yankee lineup.
Judge usually have success against Gausman, and he did get a hit off Gausman in this game, but Gausman did a good job of not allowing home runs and kept the Yankees to just one run.
Through five innings of work, Gausman had three strikeouts and gave up just four hits and one earned run.
The Blue Jays played outstanding team baseball on both ends of the field.
The Yankees and Blue Jays will play on Sunday at 4:08. Max Fried (19-5) will go against Trey Yesavage (1-0).
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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