Yankees continue to struggle against Blue Jays in disappointing conclusion of win streak

Yankees Drop Game to Blue Jays Amid Pitching Struggles

In Toronto, Ryan Weathers was the only pitcher for the Yankees who hadn’t been part of the last game against the Blue Jays here before Friday. However, he mirrored the performance of his teammates from last season.

The Blue Jays struck quickly, overcoming the Yankees’ pitching struggles with two home runs in the opening innings. Ultimately, the Yankees managed to secure an 8-5 victory, bringing the Blue Jays’ four-game winning streak to a halt.

Things started off looking reminiscent of the 2025 season, when Aaron Boone’s team disappointed with a 1-6 showing against the Blue Jays, including a poor performance in the AL Division Series.

Weathers, who has allowed nine home runs over his last five appearances and a total of 15 this season, faced particular difficulties. He’s given up six runs in just 4 1/3 innings recently, with long balls becoming a consistent issue.

“I’m a competitor, so I want to win,” Weathers said, expressing his frustration. “I’m tired of putting us in a hole the last few games. It doesn’t feel good. We’ve got to pitch better if we want to win more games.”

The Yankees had also received solid pitching from Trey Yesavage, who delivered 11 1/3 shutout innings across his first two career starts, allowing just three baserunners. Despite this, the Yankees were unable to recover after falling behind 5-0 early on.

Compounding their challenges, the Yankees lost one of their key hitters, Trent Grisham, who left the game in the sixth inning due to a right hamstring strain after hitting a two-run homer, which may result in him being placed on the disabled list.

The Yankees teased a comeback with a grand slam in the seventh inning, but Ryan McMahon’s pop-out ended the threat against reliever Braydon Fisher.

“I thought we had really good at-bats all night against Yesavage and their good pen,” manager Aaron Boone commented on the team’s effort.

All the home runs Weathers conceded came with a 2-2 count and two outs, which has been a worrying pattern for him. When asked about it, he simply stated, “It was a bad pitch. I just threw a bad ball. That’s all.”

The troubles began for Weathers in the first inning with a swinging bunt that led to Ernie Clement reaching base. Alejandro Kirk, returning from injury, drove in a double to extend the Blue Jays’ lead, followed by Kazuma Okamoto hitting a two-run shot, pushing the score to 3-0.

In the second inning, Weathers encountered issues again, hitting Andres Jimenez before George Springer hit another two-run homer to up the score to 5-0. Boone acknowledged that while Yesavage pitched well, mistakes were costly.

Although the Yankees managed to fight back in the fifth with a two-run homer from Cody Bellinger, they took too long to gain momentum. In the sixth, Grisham’s homer brought the team closer at 7-5, but it ultimately wasn’t enough.