Trey Yesavage Shines in Blue Jays’ Surprising Victory

Toronto – After extensive scouting and daily pitching meetings, the Blue Jays executed what seems almost impossible in baseball.

It was certainly an unexpected turn of events for October.

Yes, the Yankees knew they would face rookie Trey Yesavage on Sunday. But, they were up against just 14 career major league innings from a 22-year-old who, frankly, had an unusual style. They didn’t appear to have any solid plan on how to approach him as a pitcher.

This newcomer, reminiscent of Jonaton from the Mets, utilized an unconventional delivery, featuring an impressive splitter and an upward fastball, coupled with a slider that dropped just under the bats. It was the biggest game of his young career.

“It’s all about a funky release,” Yesavage remarked, referring to his two strikeouts against the Yankees. “I think I was mixing in my splitter with that fastball. It felt a bit new for me.”

True, the Yankees had watched footage of Yesavage’s previous outings against the Rays and Royals in September, in addition to nearly 100 innings across four minor league levels this season. But, I guess seeing it on film doesn’t always translate to success on the field.

There’s definitely a marked difference between watching the film and witnessing such an unusual arm slot right from the batter’s perspective.

“You really had to make adjustments,” said Rice.

Unfortunately for the Yankees, they couldn’t adapt effectively. Yesavage spectacularly held them scoreless through 5¹/₃ innings, not allowing a single hit.

Out of the 29 splitters he threw, 19 resulted in either called strikes or swings and misses.

The Yankees struggled immensely, racking up 16 strikeouts and missing the ball 11 times. It seemed they couldn’t tell the difference between his fastballs and those that stayed high in the zone.

“He had great deception,” commented Giancarlo Stanton.

Aaron Judge, who faced Yesavage for the first time, emphasized the release point as his main challenge, noting it gave them trouble throughout the night.

Yesavage showcased his talent against the Yankees’ heart of the order, striking out Judge and leaving Cody Bellinger flailing on one pitch before snaring Rice as well.

The Blue Jays had recently moved Chris Bassitt and replaced him with Max Scherzer in the ALDS roster, banking on their top prospects over three career starts. I mean, it’s a bold strategy, and it seems to be paying off.

But none of those previous innings were against the Yankees.

“This feels like Cloud Nine,” Yesavage expressed after being pulled with a 12-0 lead, having thrown 78 pitches. The Toronto crowd gave him a standing ovation, which must have felt amazing. “I can’t imagine feeling better than this right now.”