TORONTO — While the rivalry between the Yankees and Blue Jays hasn’t really flared up, there have been other flashy moments in recent years.
That is until this week.
A four-game series against rivals in the AL East at the Rogers Center turned out to be an absurdity, with all-out brawls ravaging the benches as the Yankees departed Canada late Thursday night. It seemed like a miracle.
September is always there – it seems light years away, but that’s the reality of the new balanced schedule. Two series per season were cut, reducing the number of games played between teams in the division from 19 to just 13.
Rather, the series is dripping with drama due to the decline in divisional competitions, and the actual showdowns are only intensifying.
A quick recap: there was Aaron Judge’s allegations of misconduct and subsequent scrutiny of his eyeballs. A real rule violation by Domingo German and his tenacious right hand. There was a minor complaint about the position of the base coach that prompted Blue Jays manager John Schneider to yell at Yankees assistant hitting coach Brad Wilkerson, “Shut up you fat guy.” Say goodbye 10 times. And the judges leaned into the role of the villain with four homers and a new celebration with his hands over his eyes.
did i miss something?
“The division as a whole feels kind of old-fashioned — back when I was playing, when Booney was around.” [Aaron Boone] Wilkerson, who played in the majors from 2001 to 2008 and is entering his final season in Toronto, said. “There are many good teams. [The Blue Jays] They have a great team over there. With so many great teams, we had to focus on what we had to do with the players in the dugout. Don’t let outside noise distract you. “
The Yankees have largely stuck to that belief this week, despite events that have troubled the fans around them.
“It’s just the AL East. It’s another animal,” said Isaiah Kinner Whalefa. He had a good Tuesday night (double, home run, walks, 2-for-3, 3 runs) but was lost in the game. In the midst of all the other chaos.
But while the Yankees have a long history of feuding with the Red Sox, and most recently with the Rays and their “whole damn stable of pitchers who throw 98 mph,” their rivalry with the Blue Jays has continued. Growing beyond the team. The past few years.
Last April, Luis Severino and Alec Manoa were arguing with each other, but in August, Manoa hit the judge with a fastball, Gerrit Cole stepped out of the dugout and yelled at Manoa, saying, said after the game. Gerrit wants to do something, this time he can pass the Audi sign. Tensions were further heightened in the offseason when Manoa called Cole “the worst cheater in baseball history” and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. vowed “never sign with the Yankees, never dead.”
The first series between the teams of the season at Yankee Stadium in April was relatively quiet, aside from the Yankees’ walk-off victory. But this week’s rematch north of the border quickly made up for it with high spirits.
“Hey, this is a competition,” said Wilkerson. “Competition is good. I think the fans love it. The schedule is unbelievable, and we really lived up to it.”
Quality competition usually requires two good teams, but the stage is set for the fireworks as the Blue Jays re-enter the middle of the division battle over the past few seasons.
“When you have two good teams who know each other well, it can certainly get a little competitive and heated at times,” Schneider said. “You probably do and say things that you wouldn’t have said if it weren’t for the heat of the moment. If you look up and down, you can say that to basically any team in our department right now.” When you have high-level athletes who are very competitive and coaches who are very competitive, you get a little bit of what you see.”
Want to catch a game? You can find the Yankees schedule and links to ticket purchases here.
How sticky is too sticky?
If an engineer could develop a tool that could instantly identify a substance and measure the exact level of that substance on his hands, Major League Baseball would pay a lot.
German’s dismissal on Tuesday and his subsequent 10-game suspension for failing a stickiness test underscores just how subjective those tests can be.
MLB relies on umpires to inspect hands, gloves, hats, belts, and everything else. With more than 70 active referees in the game, it’s impossible to have an objective standard of how sticky it is.
Phil Cuzzi has three embarrassing ejections until James Hoyet’s staff decide by Tuesday that German’s right hand was “the worst hand I’ve felt in a match” (Max Scherzer in April, 2021) Hector Santiago and Caleb Smith in 2007) were responsible for everything. “
Jarman claimed it was just rosin and sweat (from a bag behind the mound). Hoe claimed it was “definitely not rosin.”
If German is telling the truth, the question arises as to how pitchers need to know how much rosin is too much.
“The reality is that we all need to fully understand what those boundaries are,” Boone said. “Apparently Domingo crossed over.”
And yet…
“Look, there’s a dangerous guy here.” [component to it] Because they’re always comparing hands,” Boone said. “Of course nothing happens the other way around. There is no tackle, so I don’t know what the line is. [Hoye] I just said it was too sticky. “
long-lost comrades
Bills quarterbacks Josh Allen, Matt Barkley and Kyle Allen practiced at the Rogers Center Monday afternoon before the Yankees-Blue Jays circus got underway.
They put on a show with some impressive home runs and a few Yankees came out to the dugout to see it.
Cole then found Barkley behind home plate and gave him a hug.
Despite their eerily similar similarities, the two have made their way into professional sports. Both Cole and Berkley were born on September 8, 1990 in Newport Beach, California.
Cole attended Orange Lutheran High School, and Berkeley went to a rival school in Orange County, Mater Day.
Cole then played baseball for UCLA and Barkley played football for rival USC.
What’s the crazy part? Cole and Berkley hadn’t seen each other until Monday.
under the farm
Will Warren was promoted from Double-A Somerset to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre on Wednesday, bringing one of the organization’s top pitching prospects a step closer to helping the Yankees.
The 23-year-old right-hander had 39 strikeouts and a 2.45 ERA in 29 1/3 innings before the start of the season. A 2021 eighth-round pick from Southeastern Louisiana University, he impressed the organization last season in his first professional season.
The burgeoning Warren isn’t yet on the Yankees’ 40-man roster, but he’ll likely be there soon, giving the Yankees a much-needed starter at the upper minor level.
In his Triple-A debut Thursday night, Warren gave up two runs in the sixth inning (a solo homer), struck out four, and didn’t walk.
