All is calm in the world, the Yankees have won their first game of 2021.
Yes, that was for the handful of fans who were ready to launch a panic party after Opening Day.
Another strong showing from Gary Sanchez, along with the bullpen, propelled the Yankees to a 5-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays, Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.
We’re not going to focus on Sanchez for 160 games, but he’s already making it difficult not to. Sanchez hit another home run today, his second in two games.
Moreover, a veteran pitcher made his Yankees debut, another veteran helped with run support, and the bullpen with another strong showing.
Here’s my three takeaways from today’s win:
Corey Kluber makes his Yankees debut
It’s important to remember Corey Kluber is working his way back from injuries. I reference this because, since 2019, he’s only pitched 36.2 innings (thank you Michael Kay and the YES Network). Last season, because of shoulder injury, he left the game in the first inning of his first start with the Texas Rangers. That was the end of his 2020 season.
Today, Kluber made his Yankees debut and the results were mixed. That’s not a knock on the veteran, it’s just what it was. His stuff was decent, especially the off-speed pitches and his movement around the plate.
The flipside for Kluber was he pitched himself into a handful of jams. The defense for the Yankees bailed him out early with a couple of double plays. Ultimately, his pitch count hit 70 heading into the fifth inning. Toronto’s Marcus Semien ended Kluber’s day with a solo-home run to left field.
The velocity is still not all the way back for Kluber, but he has the experience to help him through it.
Runners in Scoring Position and Situational Hitting
This was an area of concern after Opening Day. The Yankees were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. They left 10 runners on base. Again, too early to pound the panic button into submission, but still enough to raise eyebrows.
Today, the results were better. Getting runners on base won’t be a problem with this lineup. Getting them across home plate consistently has potential for Matlock Mysteries. The Yankees left 12 runners on base and were 4-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
While that’s still not what you want to see, it’s still early. So, we won’t go nuts yet with what we’re watching.
There was one stat, however, which was impressive. 2-out RBI’s from Jay Bruce and DJ LeMahieu. I’m filing that under situational hitting.
Clutch hitting from Bruce, on his 34th birthday, with a 2-run single to give the Yankees a couple of insurance runs. And LeMahieu finished the game with a 2-for-4 day, including a walk.
LeMahieu calmed everyone’s nerves with his performance today, there’s a reason he’s a two-time batting champion. And it was good to see Bruce get in the hit column.
Overall, this offense will round into form. Aaron Hicks hasn’t looked comfortable and it wouldn’t surprise me if Aaron Boone gives him a day off on Sunday.
I also like how Giancarlo Stanton is approaching his at-bats. It hasn’t shown up yet in the stats, but he’s shown plenty of plate discipline. I wouldn’t have mind him swinging at that 3-0 pitch in the first inning, the timing was right there for an aggressive approach. But I’ll take this patient and more selective version of Stanton than what we’ve seen in the past.
Is Loaisiga ready for prime time? The Yankees think so
Jonathan Loaisiga could prove to be a key piece for the Yankees out of the bullpen this season. He has a nasty fastball with serious movement, and now he’s added a third pitch with his off-speed stuff.
The Yankees went to Loaisiga after Kluber and struck out three in 2 innings of work with zero runs allowed. He worked through the heart of Toronto’s lineup which made his performance more impressive.
What’s on deck?
The Yankees, at 1-1, will wrap up their weekend series with the Blue Jays on Sunday. All eyes turn towards Domingo German as he makes his first start of the season.
