/sites/bleacher-report/files/getty_images/2239246108_large_cropped.jpg
The New York Yankees’ offense went dormant on Saturday in a 6-1 road loss to the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 1 of the American League Division Series.
New York let a crucial sixth-inning opportunity slip away, and that served as the turning point of the contest.
Toronto held a 2-0 lead after five innings thanks to solo home runs from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Alejandro Kirk.
However, the Yankees loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth after Anthony Volpe’s double, Austin Wells’ single and Trent Grisham’s walk.
That brought up Aaron Judge, the two-time American League MVP who could very well win his third award this year after hitting an MLB-leading .331 (1.144 OPS) alongside 53 home runs and 114 RBI.
Judge worked the count to three balls and two strikes against starting pitcher Kevin Gausman. The eighth pitch in the at-bat was an 86 mph splitter outside of the zone, but Judge swung and missed for the first out.
Cody Bellinger walked to bring in the Yankees’ only run. That brought up Ben Rice, but he hit an infield pop-up to third base.
The Blue Jays then brought in Louis Varland to face Giancarlo Stanton, who is hitting .071 in the playoffs this year after dominating the postseason last year (seven home runs, 16 RBI). Varland punched out Stanton on a 101 mph fastball to end the jam.
The game spiraled out of control from there, with the Blue Jays scoring four runs in the seventh and eighth innings. Kirk notably hit his second home run of the game during the eight-run outburst.
Ultimately, it was a disappointing start to the ALDS for the Yankees after an emotional three-game AL Wild Card Series victory over the rival Boston Red Sox. In particular, this game highlighted the continued playoff struggles of Judge, who entered the ALDS with a .212 batting average (.768 OPS) in the postseason compared to .294 (1.028 OPS) lifetime.
Judge has hit .400 in this year’s postseason (6-of-15) after getting two hits Saturday, but he’s struggled in big October moments. Saturday marked another one, and fans and analysts took notice.
That being said, the entire Yankee team struggled, from the lineup to the pitching staff.
Game 2 of the best-of-five series is set for 4:08 p.m. ET on Sunday
Read the full article here