When & Where To Watch
Tonight: Coverage on YES & the YES App begins at 6:00 p.m. with Yankees Batting Practice Today
Tomorrow: Coverage on YES & the YES App begins at 6:00 p.m. with Yankees Batting Practice Today
Wednesday: Coverage on YES & the YES App begins at 2:30 p.m. with the Pregame Show.
Hot Start
The Yankees have tied a franchise record by winning each of their first five series. They accomplished this feat twice previously, once in 1926 with a team that reached the World Series and again in 2010 with a club that made the ALCS. Prior to dropping Sunday’s series finale in Cleveland, this year’s squad became one of seven Yankees teams all-time to start a season by winning 12 of its first 15 games, including World Championship clubs in 1943 and 1949.
Pinstriped Pulse
Anthony Volpe is tied with Jose Altuve for second in the Majors with a .382 batting average, four points behind the leader: Justin Turner, who the Yankees will see in Toronto over the next three games. Juan Soto is batting .344 with three home runs, 15 RBI and 15 walks. The only AL player with more walks is Aaron Judge at 16. Anthony Rizzo is batting .325 over his last 10 games and enters this series riding a six-game hitting streak. At 2.78, the Yankees have the second-best team ERA in MLB behind only the Red Sox (2.54).
How ‘Bout That
What a job Cody Poteet did in his Yankees debut Saturday night. Fully recovered from the Tommy John surgery he had in August of 2022 and called up from the Minors to start Game 2 of the team’s doubleheader in Cleveland, Poteet threw six innings of one-run ball to earn the victory in the Yankees’ 8-2 win. It was his first MLB win since May 23, 2021, when he tossed seven shutout innings to defeat the Mets while he was with the Marlins. Poteet went 1,056 days between wins, and dating way back to 1901, he’s just the 25th pitcher to win a game for the Yankees and go at least that many days between that win and their previous MLB victory.
Know The Foe
Having taken two out of three games from Seattle and Colorado, Toronto has won each of its last two series after not winning any of its first three, which included the Yankees’ first home series of the year when the Yanks took two of three. In addition to the league-leading Turner, Cavan Biggio (.310) and former Yankee Isiah Kiner-Falefa (.295) are also hitting well for the Blue Jays. George Springer has three multi-hit performances in his last five games. Bo Bichette has recorded at least one hit in seven of his last eight. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has three home runs this year, although he is batting just .194. Toronto’s 5.22 bullpen ERA is the third worst in the AL, better than only Tampa Bay (6.23) and Houston (5.32). Though he is not scheduled to pitch in this series, José Berríos has been terrific, going 3-0 with a 1.05 ERA over his first four starts.
Probable Pitchers
Luis Gil takes the mound tonight opposite Chris Bassitt as MLB celebrates one of the most sacred days on its calendar, Jackie Robinson Day. Carlos Rodón will try to continue his impressive start to the season when he works tomorrow against Yusei Kikuchi, who is off to a good start himself. Former Blue Jay Marcus Stroman gets the call in Wednesday’s finale at Rogers Centre – he’ll pitch in the ballpark he called home from the start of his MLB career in 2014 until he was traded in the middle of 2019 when he opposes Kevin Gausman, who lasted just 1 1/3 innings in the Bronx on April 6, when he gave up five earned runs and took the loss in a game the Yankees won, 9-8.