Yankees Beat Blue Jays 10-3

The Bronx Bombers lived up to their nickname on Tuesday night, as the New York Yankees Yankees destroyed the AL East Rival Toronto Blue Jays 10-3 at Steinbrenner Field.

We had five home runs. We promise. pic.twitter.com/gn99IXnBcy

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 15, 2023

 Home Run Derby

The Yankees mashed five home runs on Tuesday night, with three of them coming in the first inning. Second baseman DJ LeMahieu led off with an opposite field home run against Blue Jays starter Drew Hutchison to get the scoring started. Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo followed with back-to-back base hits, and third baseman Josh Donaldson, who drew the ire of many Yankee fans for his struggles last season, launched a three-run homer to left field, giving New York a 4-0 lead before an out was recorded.

After a Willie Calhoun walk and an Oswald Peraza fielder’s choice, outfield prospect Estevan Florial crushed the Yankees third home run of the opening inning, and gave them a 6-0 lead. This chased Hitchison from the game, as he recorded just one out and gave up six earned runs. Oswald Peraza added a solo homer in the third inning.

From there, the Yankees’ bats went quiet until the eight inning, when Andres Chaparro hit his fourth home run of the Spring, a three-run shot to put the game away. The Yankees finished off a 10-3 win, sending their fans home happy as Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” blared throughout the stadium.

The Cole Train Rolls

Yankees ace Gerrit Cole took the mound on Tuesday night as he continues to get ready for the start of the regular season. The right-hander tossed 4.2 strong innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits, while striking out six batters and not surrendering a walk. Cole started the game by striking out four of the first five batters he faced, including George Springer and Matt Chapman.

Cole did allow a home run to Rainer Nunez in the third inning, and a hard ground ball from Daulton Varsho that Anthony Rizzo was unable to field plated a run and ended Cole’s night. Cole will take the mound for the Yankees on Opening Day, as they get set to host the San Francisco Giants on March 30 in The Bronx.

Bat. King. Cole. pic.twitter.com/3e2QnHtjCm

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 15, 2023

The Outlook For Toronto

Although they struggled against their division rivals on Tuesday, the Blue Jays figure to be the Yankees biggest competition in the battle for the American League East this season. While regulars like George Springer and Matt Chapman struggled, they figure to be key pieces of the Blue Jays success this season.

While starters like Alek Manoah, Kevin Gausman, and newly-acquired Chris Bassitt figure to lead the rotation for Toronto, Drew Hutchison struggled mightily on Tuesday. Left-hander Yusei Kikuchi also struggled in his first year in Toronto after coming over from the Mariners. This leaves the Blue Jays with potential question marks surrounding the back end of their rotation.

Wednesday’s Matchups

The Yankees will stay in Tampa as they host the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday afternoon. Luis Severino will take the hill for New York.

The Blue Jays return to Dunedin, as they sent Kevin Gausman to the mound to face the Pittsburgh Pirates at TD Ballpark.