New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone, left, removes pitcher Gerrit Cole, center, in the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays, Saturday, April 22, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
NEW YORK (AP) – Gerrit Cole and Alek Manaoh pitched scoreless ball after a chirpy buildup, and the New York Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 Saturday on pinch-hitter DJ LeMahieu’s walkoff bases-loaded single in the ninth inning.
Rookie Anthony Volpe hit a two-run homer in the eighth off Yimi GarcÃa and pinch-hitter Danny Jansen hit a two-run homer in the ninth against Wandy Peralta after a leadoff walk to Alejandro Kirk. Anthony Rizzo doubled off Jordan Romano (2-1) leading off the bottom half.
Even before the first pitch there was intrigue. Just as Cole was about to start the game, he was forced to wait, crouching behind the mound as Manoah and Kirk slowly walked from the Blue Jays bullpen down the left-field line to the dugout.
Cole allowed four hits in 5 2/3 innings with four strikeouts and two walks, extending his scoreless streak to 20 2/3 innings and lowering his ERA to 0.79.
Manoah gave up two hits in seven innings with five strikeouts and one walk, dropping his ERA from 6.98 to 5.13.
Last Aug. 21, Manoah threw an inside pitch early in the game that went near Yankees star Aaron Judge, then hit Judge on the arm guard above the left elbow. Judge glanced at Manoah as Cole started yelling and a few other Yankees came over the dugout railing. Cole was intercepted by bench coach Carlos Mendoza before reaching the umpires.
“I think if Gerrit wants to do something, he can walk past the Audi sign next time,” Manoah said, referring to the advertisement stenciled on the grass between the Yankees dugout and first-base line.
Asked in November on NBA player Serge Ibaka’s YouTube show “How Hungry Are You?” “who is the worst cheater in baseball history, Manaoh responded: “Gerrit Cole. He cheated. He used a lot of sticky stuff to make his pitches better. He kind of got called out on it.”
After Rizzo doubled off the left-field wall, pinch-runner Isiah Kiner-Falafa advanced on Gleyber Torres’ single to shortstop and Willie Calhoun walked before LeMahieu ended the game on a 1-0 slider.
On Friday, Rizzo and Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. exchanged words after Greg Weissert hit Guerrero with a 93 mph sinker.
Jimmy Cordero (1-0) got George Springer to hit into an inning-ending double play in the top of the inning.
New York improved to 11-0 this year when facing a series loss.
WELCOME BACK
The Bleacher Creatures serenaded Blue Jays bench coach Don Mattingly with chants of “Donnie Baseball!” in the first inning and Mattingly saluted the fans in right field. He played his entire 14-year career with the Yankees, serving as captain for his final five seasons.
LONG MEMORIES
Springer was met with chants of “You’re a cheater!” as he stood in right field during the fifth inning. Springer was a member of the 2017 Houston Astros, found by Major League Baseball to used electronics to steal signs.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Blue Jays: 2B Santiago Espinal left with a bruised right wrist after he was hit by a 98 mph Cole fastball in the second inning.
Yankees: OF Harrison Bader (left oblique) had a day off after his first rehab game Friday for Double-A Somerset. … RHP Luis Severino (right lat) is expected to throw at least two more batting practice sessions in Tampa before the Yankees map out a rehab stint.
UP NEXT
Toronto RHP Kevin Gausman (1-2, 3.65 ERA) starts Sunday after giving up eight runs – seven in the first inning – over 4 2/3 innings in a 9-2 loss to Astros. Yankees RHP Clarke Schmidt (0-1, 8.79 ERA) hasn’t pitched more than four innings in any of his first four starts.
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