Instant Reaction: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. drove in six to lift the Blue Jays to a 9-3 win over the Yankees
2 days ago
Suddenly, the Toronto Blue Jays’ bats are hot.
On Saturday afternoon, the Blue Jays defeated the New York Yankees 9-3 to bring their season record to 38-44.
The Blue Jays scored early in the game, as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. did it once again, hitting his 13th home run of the season and his sixth in his past nine games to give Toronto a 2-0 lead. Alejandro Kirk doubled in Justin Turner in the bottom of the fourth to make it 3-0 for the Jays.
Chris Bassitt’s shutout bid was snapped in the top of the fifth, as Aaron Judge was not intentionally walked with first base open and a runner on third. Instead, he hit a single that scored New York’s first run.
However, the Blue Jays scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth, as Alejandro Kirk hit a ground ball single to make it 4-1, Isiah Kiner-Falefa did the same to tack on another run, before Vladimir Guerrero Jr. doubled to clear the bases and make it 8-1.
Guerrero Jr. would pick up another RBI in the bottom of the eighth to give Toronto nine runs, before Austin Wells hit a two-run home run in the top of the ninth.
Things worth mentioning…
This version of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. looks like the hitter he was in 2021. Over his past six games, Guerrero Jr. has driven in 19 of Toronto’s 43 runs, along with hitting a whole whack of homers in his past nine games.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa had a four-hit day, hitting four singles and driving in a runner. This season, he’s slashing .296/.343/.427 with seven homers in 277 plate appearances for a 121 wRC+. Kiner-Falefa also has a 13 game-hit streak. What a great signing he was.
Alejandro Kirk and George Springer continue to hit solidly in recent weeks. Kirk drove in two of the first four runs with a double and single, while Springer hit his 10th and 11th doubles of the season.
Chris Bassitt was hit by an Aaron Judge line drive in the first inning, and despite a goose egg on his arm, managed to finish the game with a line of 6 IP, 6 H, 0 ER (1 R), 2 BB, 8 K to bring his season ERA to 3.24.
Up next: The Jays have a chance to win the series against the Yankees on Sunday, as they’ll host them for the final game of the series at 1:37 PM ET. Kevin Gausman will be on the mound to face off against reigning American League Cy Young winner, Gerrit Cole.
As always, you can follow me on Twitter @Ryley_L_D.
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