New York Yankees' Gleyber Torres is tagged out at home plate by Toronto Blue Jays catcher Brian Serven during the second inning. The Blue Jay won 8-5 on Aug. 2, 2024, in New York.Pamela Smith/The Associated Press
Ernie Clement had three early RBIs off faltering Marcus Stroman, and the Toronto Blue Jays overcame Aaron Judge’s major league-leading 40th home run to beat the Yankees 8-5 Friday night and stop New York’s five-game winning streak.
“He’s an aggressive hitter and he’s swinging early,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “He’s doing a good job of recognizing that and kind of getting pitches a little bit more in the zone.”
Judge’s two-run, first-inning homer off Kevin Gausman, a 477-footer drive halfway up the left-field bleachers, gave him a big league-best 101 RBIs.
“If it came with a win tonight that have been pretty sweet,” Judge said.
He became just the fourth Yankees player with three or more 40-homer seasons, joining Babe Ruth (11), Lou Gehrig (five) and Mickey Mantle (four). The drive was the third-longest of Judge’s career and the second-longest in the major leagues this season behind Jorge Soler’s 478-footer for San Francisco at Colorado on July 21. Judge has six homers against Gausman.
“He’s ridiculous,” Schneider said. “His numbers, you look up, it’s a joke.”
Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres was removed by manager Aaron Boone after three innings for not hustling.
Torres did not run hard out of the batter’s box on his second-inning drive off the left-field wall, thinking it was a home run, and reached only first. That cost the Yankees a run when he was thrown out at the plate trying to score on Anthony Volpe’s two-out double into the left-field corner in the second.
“I just felt like I need to in that spot,” Boone said.
Torres agreed with Boone’s decision
“I feel really sorry,” Torres said.
Stroman (7-6) gave up a season-high seven runs and eight hits in a season-low 2 2/3 innings. He was 5-2 with a 2.60 ERA in 12 starts through May and is 2-4 with a 6.32 ERA in 10 starts since.
“Loss is definitely solely on me. Just didn’t execute. Just out of rhythm mechanically. Had no feel for my pitches,” Stroman said. “Just to put us in that position is very disappointing and unacceptable.”
Gausman allowed five runs – four earned – and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings.
“His command wasn’t great tonight, but he made big pitches,” Schneider said.
In a game that started after an 86-minute rain delay, Vladimir Guerrero hit an RBI single and Clement a two-run double in the first. Spencer Horwitz and Clement had run-scoring singles in the four-run third for a 5-2 lead and Brian Serven, a backup catcher who had been 1 for 21 this season, greeted Michael Tonkin with a two-run single for a 7-2 advantage.
Anthony Volpe hit a two-run homer in the fifth and New York closed to 7-5 when centrefielder Daulton Varsho bobbled Austin Wells’ single for an error that allowed Juan Soto to score. Genesis Cabrera stranded a pair of runners when he struck out Jazz Chisholm Jr.
Horwitz singled in a run against Tim Hill in the sixth, and Brendon Little (1-1) stranded two more runners when Soto hit an inning-ending groundout in the bottom half.
Chad Green got three outs for his eighth save in eight chances.
Torres was thrown out on Volpe’s double when left fielder Joey Loperfido threw to shortstop Leo Jimenez, whose relay to Serven sailed to the third-base side of the plate but left the catcher time to make a swipe tag.
George Springer bruised his left shin on a foul ball in the sixth inning and was replaced in right field in the bottom of the seventh. He was going to have a scan.
“I think it’ll be all right,” Schneider said.
Reliever Enyel De Los Santos, acquired from San Diego on Tuesday, worked around a double and hit batter in the seventh inning of his Yankees debut.
Soccer stars
Retired soccer star Zlatan Ibrahimovi threw the ceremonial first pitch from the rubber, then exchanged a hug with Yankees captain Aaron Judge. ... Judge had a Manchester City jersey draped on his clubhouse chair signed: “Aaron, Best wishes, Erling Haaland.” Manchester City played a pre-season friendly at Yankee Stadium last weekend, when the Yankees were in Boston.
Trainer’s room
Blue Jays: C Alejandro Kirk was out of the starting lineup for the second game in a row since getting hit on the left elbow by a 98 mph pitch from Baltimore’s Corbin Burnes. ... LHP Ricky Tiedemann had Tommy John surgery Tuesday.
Yankees: RHP Gerrit Cole (body fatigue) threw a bullpen session Friday and intends to rejoin the rotation for Sunday’s series finale after missing one turn.
Up next
Yankees LHP Carlos Rodon (11-7, 4.34) starts Saturday against Toronto RHP Jose Berrios (9-8, 3.93). Rodon has won consecutive starts after going 0-5 in his previous six. Berrios beat the Yankees on June 27, allowing two runs and two hits over seven innings – including Trent Grisham’s two-run homer. Toronto took a 5-0, first-inning lead off Rodon, who gave up a pair of three-run homers to Springer.