TORONTO (AP) — After back-to-back beatdowns in Toronto, the New York Yankees don’t have any margin for error as they head home for Game 3 of the ALDS on Tuesday night.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone put on a brave face after a 13-7 loss Sunday in Game 2 left his team facing elimination.
“Obviously, it feels like the world’s caving in around you, you lose two games like that in their building where it doesn’t go right,” Boone said. “But all of a sudden you go out there and win a ballgame on Tuesday, the needle can change. There’s been a lot of weird things that have happened in baseball this year. This would not be the weirdest, us rallying.”
New York was held hitless through 5 2/3 innings on Sunday, unable to get anything going against Blue Jays rookie Trey Yesavage.
The Blue Jays thumped the Yankees 10-1 on Saturday in Game 1. Toronto’s 23 runs in the ALDS so far are the most by any team in the opening two games of a postseason series. The Yankees scored 22 runs in the first two games of the 2020 Wild Card round against Cleveland.
New York has lost eight of nine in Toronto this season but is 4-2 at home against the Blue Jays.
“We haven’t lost any confidence,” Boone said. “Obviously, they’ve had our number and gotten the better of us so far this year, but I don’t think anyone in our room doesn’t feel like we can’t go out and beat them. We’ve got to play better. We’ve got to pitch and swing it better. But we’re certainly capable of it, and we’ll expect to do that on Tuesday night.”
New York was pushed to the limit by Boston in the Wild Card round and has seen its bullpen tested in the first two games of the ALDS, with seven relievers combining for 10 1/3 innings of work.
“We know where they’re at in terms of their bullpen and everything,” Toronto’s Ernie Clement said about the Yankees. “They just came off a really tough series. It’s really important for us to work them, just make it as tough as possible on them.”
Yankees left-hander Max Fried, who was chased after three-plus innings Sunday, credited the Blue Jays for making it tough on New York’s pitchers.
“They’ve put up good at-bats against us all year,” Fried said. “That’s a good ballclub. They don’t strike out and they put the ball in play and they play good defense. They’re playing their game and they’ve had a good series so far.”
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