Aaron Boone, manager of the New York Yankees, addressed concerns about Aaron Judge’s throwing arm before Saturday’s game at Yankee Stadium. Boone said the team has had infielders work on “creative cuts” to help Judge as he recovers from a right flexor strain. However, Boone made it clear that no such adjustments were needed for outfielder Cody Bellinger.
Bellinger delivered a key defensive play in the sixth inning, throwing out Bo Bichette at home plate and stopping a potential tying run during the Yankees’ 3-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. The throw was clocked at 95.3 mph and reached catcher Austin Wells on one hop.
“I feel like every win at this point is pretty big,” Bellinger said after the game. “I got a good jump on it. With two outs, I assumed they would be aggressive. I just wanted to make a good throw to [catcher Austin] Wells there. He did a good job of getting the ball and putting the tag on.”
The victory allowed New York (79-63) to close Toronto’s (82-60) lead in the American League East to three games and maintain their position in the AL Wild Card race. The teams will play again Sunday with the series on the line.
“We know what’s at stake,” Boone said. “We know how important these games are. But you also can’t make them bigger than what they are. It’s a game – we’ve got to go play well, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
Rain started falling during Nathan Lukes’ single in the top of the sixth inning before Bellinger made his throw home.
“With the grass being wet, ideally, I wanted to get a nice little one-hop to him,” Bellinger said.
Yankees pitcher Luis Gil expressed confidence when he saw Bellinger fielding Lukes’ hit.
“I felt he was going to have a good shot at it,” Gil said through interpreter Marlon Abreu. “He’s great out there.”
After being tagged out by Wells, Bichette appeared hurt and was later reported by Toronto manager John Schneider as having his shin scraped by Wells’ shin guards; Bichette will be evaluated ahead of Sunday’s game.
“It didn’t look great, but we’re at the point where if you can play, you can play,” Schneider said.
Following that play, heavy rain caused a delay lasting 106 minutes while crews covered the field with tarpaulin. Boone noted his players relaxed during this time before returning focused for the rest of the contest.
“This time of year, you’re playing for a lot,” Boone said. “You’re playing a division rival that you’re looking up at in the standings. That downtime can add to the anxiety and the waiting around.”
The Yankees scored runs with Jasson Domínguez’s RBI single and two sacrifice flies from Wells—one each in both second and sixth innings—to build their lead.
Gil pitched six innings for New York, giving up one run on three hits while walking four batters and striking out one.
“I’m getting back to where I want to be,” Gil said. “The good thing is I’m continuing to win, even if things aren’t exactly how I’d want.”
Boone commented on Gil’s performance: “There’s definitely more in there.” Bellinger praised both pitching staff and offense: “To hold that lineup to one run is not an easy task… We manufactured a few runs. It was just a really good win overall.”
Relievers Luke Weaver, Fernando Cruz, and David Bednar closed out Toronto over final innings; Bednar spoke about roles becoming clearer since joining from Pittsburgh before MLB’s trade deadline:
“I think everybody’s settling in a little bit more now,” Bednar said. “I think the biggest thing for me is just being ready anytime the phone rings – whenever that is.”
