Yankees vs. Blue Jays ALDS Game 3 takeaways
Here are three takeaways from the Yankees’ season-extending 9-6 win over the Blue Jays in Game 3 of the ALDS at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night.
1. The 'pen was mightier
After Carlos Rodon allowed six runs in 2 1/3 innings, Yankees starters in this series have a 16.88 ERA.
The Yankees had allowed 29 runs. That was already the most ever given up by a team in a three-game span in a single postseason in MLB history.
And then the Yankees won Tuesday’s game without giving up another run.
They won because of Aaron Judge’s tying three-run homer and Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s go-ahead solo shot and a lot more offense after they fell behind 6-1.
But they also won because Fernando Cruz, Camilo Doval, Tim Hill, Devin Williams and David Bednar held the Blue Jays to three hits over the final 6 2/3 innings.
Williams, who was booed on Opening Day, received a standing ovation as he walked off after striking out Anthony Santander for the first out of the eighth.
"That's awesome," Williams said. "It's nice to feel appreciated sometimes. It was definitely a lot better than what I've heard for much of the year."
Bednar, who got the final five outs for the save, struck out two in the ninth. The game ended on third baseman Jose Caballero’s diving stop and throw to first to rob Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of a hit.
The Yankees’ bullpen had been just as bad as their starters in the first two games (12.23 ERA in 10 1/3 innings).
Not on Tuesday. Not with the season on the line. On to Game 4.
2. About that Game 4 . . .
The Yankees have a decided advantage on paper with rookie Cam Schlittler going on Wednesday and the Blue Jays throwing a bullpen game after using six relievers to cover 5 2/3 innings on Tuesday.
On Thursday, Schlittler shut out the Red Sox over eight innings on five hits with no walks and 12 strikeouts in the deciding 4-0 victory in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series.
The Yankees trailed 0-1 in that best-of-three. They trailed 0-2 in this best-of-five.
“Guys have talked about it all year,” Schlittler, who joined the Yankees in July, said on Tuesday before ALDS Game 3. “We've been in these situations before. We've dealt with the adversity. Again, last week we were able to perform when we needed to, and I expect the team to go out there and do that tonight and get a shot tomorrow and then take it back to Toronto.”
Schlittler’s worst outing as a big-leaguer came on Sept. 5 at home against Toronto. He gave up four runs in 1 2/3 innings.
“That's in the past and not something I can worry about now,” Schlittler said. “It's a new day, new series, and I know what I need to do if I want to have a successful outing.”
3. Great players doing great things
Judge (3-for-4, double, homer, walk, four RBIs) is batting .500 with six RBIs and a 1.304 OPS in the postseason.
Guerrero (2-for-4, homer, walk, two RBIs) is batting .615 with three home runs, eight RBIs and a 1.908 OPS in the postseason (which for the Blue Jays is just this series).
Each superstar was given an intentional walk on Tuesday, Guerrero in the third inning with the Blue Jays leading 2-1 and a man on first, Judge in the sixth with no one on base and the Yankees ahead 8-6. Both of them came around to score.
But the postseason is also fun because of the surprising contributions teams get from role players, such as Toronto’s Ernie Clement (4-for-4), who is 7-for-11 with a home run and five RBIs in the series, or winning pitcher Hill, who threw 1 1/3 innings of perfect relief in Game 3.
Who will be the star on Wednesday and in Friday’s Game 5 in Toronto (if Game 5 becomes necessary)?
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
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