The game was 1-1 through eight-plus innings, Kevin Gausman had been genuinely dominant, and then Cody Bellinger singled to open the ninth and Paul Goldschmidt hit a two-run homer to left that settled it. New York Yankees 3, Toronto Blue Jays 1. It was that abrupt.
The Yankees' only two hits against Gausman in seven innings were a Jasson Dominguez solo shot in the fourth and Bellinger's single to open the ninth. That's it. Gausman walked two, struck out seven, and threw 105 pitches in a quality outing that earned him exactly nothing. His replacement, Louis Varland, gave up a hit and a two-run homer in the ninth before recording an out. That's baseball.
The Ninth Made It Look Easy
Bellinger lined a single to center to open the inning. Goldschmidt came up next and turned on a Varland pitch -- 400 feet to left, two runs scored, and the biggest WPA swing of the afternoon went to the Yankees (+34 percentage points in one at-bat). Tyler Rogers had gotten through the eighth without trouble (two hits, no damage), so the Blue Jays were in decent shape going to the ninth. Then they weren't.
Sometimes the game decides for you fast.
Goldschmidt, Star of the Game
Goldschmidt went 1-for-4, which hides the context entirely. His ninth-inning shot was the game's turning point, its WPA leader, and the only reason the bullpen math even mattered. He leads all batters on either side in WPA for the game at +26.2%.
He turns 39 in September. (Nine home runs in, and he's not done.) On a day when Gausman made the Yankees look helpless for six-plus innings, one swing from the DH slot changed everything. Goldschmidt just hit it. It carried. Game over.
Schlittler Held the Fort
Cam Schlittler gave the Yankees seven innings -- six hits, four walks, seven strikeouts, one earned run, 101 pitches. Not a clean line, but a useful one. The damage came from Kazuma Okamoto's solo homer in the third, a line drive to left that put Toronto ahead 1-0. After that, Schlittler held. Four walks is a lot to carry, but he spread them around and didn't let any of them hurt him.
He didn't get the decision. Fernando Cruz came in for the eighth, walked three batters, struck out one, and somehow let nobody score -- which is the only stat that matters. He gets the win (4-1 on the year). The quiet thing about that eighth inning is that Cruz kept it 1-1 through a mess that could've broken the game open. It didn't.
Bednar closed in the ninth on 13 pitches and three strikeouts. Save number 14.
Gausman's no-decision is one of those that deserves a footnote somewhere. Seven innings, one hit allowed, 105 pitches. He did his job. The Blue Jays' bullpen didn't do theirs.
Dominguez Keeps His Foot on the Gas
Jasson Dominguez's solo shot in the fourth was the reason the Yankees were still alive when Goldschmidt stepped in. He took a Gausman pitch the other way to right field -- not a mistake pitch, he just hit it well -- and tied it at 1-1. His second homer of the year, and his timing has been a theme of this season.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. also made a diving run-saving catch in the middle innings that SNY got on video and that won't show up in any stat column you'll read tonight. Those are the plays that keep 1-0 from becoming 2-0, keep the deficit manageable, and make a Goldschmidt ninth-inning swing matter in the first place.
One More Win in a Tight Race
The Yankees are 42-27, up half a game on Tampa Bay in the AL East. It's been that kind of year -- a tight margin, a lot of one-run games, and no cushion to speak of. Saturday they went into Rogers Centre against one of the better starters in the AL East and got out with a win because Goldschmidt was Goldschmidt in the ninth.
The margin stays. The math continues.
Jimmy writes the Bronx Pinstripes game recap after every Yankees game. Beat-reporter pacing, fan's heartbeat. He calls opposing players by last name and has no patience for dead-air innings.
