Fernando Cruz’s Medicine Ball Costs Yanks. Toronto 5 NY 4

July 1, 2025 paperbacklou 2025 0
Jazz Chisholm Jr. hits a 2-run HR in the 4th off Max Scherzer to give Yanks a 2-0 lead.

In a case of foreshadowing, it was announced before the game that Fernando Cruz sustained an oblique injury warming up with a medicine ball in the weight room, and would be put on the injured list.

Baseball has a way of finding your weakest link — and so it was that without Cruz, the Yanks blew a 3-1 lead in the 6th inning — as Mark Leiter Jr. came in an inning earlier than he normally does and coughed up 4 runs. Final score Blue Jays 5 Yankees 4 on a Monday night in Toronto.

All was going great for NY: Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a 2-run HR off Max Scherzer in the 4th, Giancarlo Stanton ripped an RBI single in the top of the 6th, and Carlos Rodon was pitching well and held a 3-1 lead before allowing a double leading off the bottom of the 6th.

With Rodon at 96 pitches and a runner on 2nd and nobody out, and without Cruz — the Yanks turned to Leiter. He allowed consecutive singles to the left side — the first one in the hole that Anthony Volpe made a great play on but threw away trying to get the runner at 3rd. A wild pitch and another infield single later and it was a tie game and Leiter was yanked. Jonathan Loaisiga came in and allowed one more single for 2 runs and Toronto was up 5-3.

Cody Bellinger hit a HR in the 8th to make it 5-4, and the Yanks came ‘this close’ to tying the game later in the inning when Ben Rice and Anthony Volpe both hit shots to center with the tying run on 2nd — but Miles Straw ranged all over centerfield to make 2 excellent catches.

“They did a good job of putting the ball in play,” said manager Aaron Boone afterwards about the 6th inning. “It’s something they’ve done this well with a couple of their speed guys. The ball in the hole we’re not going to have a play; obviously it gets by (the throw by Volpe) and we give some free bases there. Another tough one in the hole. I thought Mark (Leiter Jr) threw the ball pretty well. We weren’t getting outs on those balls; but obviously gave them a couple of extra bases.”

NY falls to 48-36, but remain 1.5 in 1st in the AL East over Tampa. Toronto improves to 46-38 and are 2 games back. Boston is 7 back.

1. Chisholm 2-Run HR vs Scherzer Puts Yanks Up

The game started as a good old fashioned pitchers’ duel between Carlos Rodon and Max Scherzer. The 40-year-old Scherzer has missed most of the season for Toronto after signing a 1-year, $15.5 M contract them as a free agent in the winter.

Scherzer was making his 3rd start of the year — and looked like the old Scherzer — throwing a shutout through 3 innings.

But in the 4th, Trent Grisham singled to left to lead off, and after Scherzer struck out Cody Bellinger and Aaron Judge, Jazz Chisholm Jr. ripped an 85-MPH slider 367 feet to right for a 2-0 Yankee lead.

Those were the only runs Scherzer allowed — he’d end up pitching 5 innings of 3-hit ball, striking out 7 with no walks.

2. Rodon Terrific

Meanwhile Carlos Rodon was terrific too, with a shutout going into the 5th.

But in the 5th he allowed a leadoff single to Clement, who moved to 2nd on a groundout, went to 3rd on a wild pitch, and scored on a groundout by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. NY 2 Toronto 1 through 5 innings.

3. Giancarlo Clutch RBI Single Puts NY Up 3-1

Brendon Little pitched the 6th for Toronto — and Jasson Dominguez reached on an infield single leading off. After Bellinger flied out, Toronto intentionally walked Aaron Judge to move the runner Dominguez to scoring position at 2nd base!

Little struck out Jazz Chisholm Jr. for the 2nd out, but Giancarlo Stanton ripped a single to left center for a 3-1 Yankee lead.

4. It All Fell Apart in the 6th

Things were looking tenuously good — until Rodon allowed a leadoff double to Davis Schneider to start the 6th.

Rodon — at 96 pitches — was relieved by Mark Leiter Jr.

Miles Straw hit a sharp grounder in the hole that Volpe made a great play on — but threw a wild throw to 3rd trying to get the runner — allowing Straw to go to 2nd.

Pinch hitter Nathan Lukes then singled to left to make it 3-2 and put runners on 1st and 3rd with nobody out.

Leiter got a huge strikeout of Will Wagner, but then threw a wild pitch and runners were on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out.

And then Ernie Clement hit a ball in the hole that Volpe made a good play on but couldn’t get Clement at 1st and it was a tie game.

Jonathan Loaisiga came in with runners on 1st and 3rd and 1 out. George Springer reached on catcher’s interference (JC Escarra catching), and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. singled to left for 2 more runs and a 5-3 Toronto lead.

5. Bellinger HR in 8th Makes It 5-4

Cody Bellinger gave the Yanks hope with a solo HR to lead off the 8th against Mason Fluharty.

6. Toronto Walks Judge Again to Put Tying Run On

After Bellinger’s homer, the Blue Jays then walked next batter Aaron Judge to put the tying run on base with nobody out!

Jazz Chisholm Jr. sacrificed Judge to 2nd — so NY had the tying run in scoring position with 1 out.

Chad Green was brought in, and he walked Giancarlo Stanton on 4 pitches that weren’t close.

But Ben Rice hit a drive to center that was caught by Miles Straw in the warning track, and Anthony Volpe hit a line drive to center that had tie-game written all over it — but again Miles Straw again was there for the catch to end the inning.

Jasson Dominguez got his 2nd hit of the day — a single with 2 outs in the 9th against Jeff Hoffman — but Cody Bellinger flied to right for the old ballgame.

Etcetera

  • Trent Grisham was pulled from the game in the 4th inning, complaining of a tightened hamstring that he felt when fielding a bloop single. He was replaced in center by Cody Bellinger. Grisham will be out a while.
  • It was also reported before the game that Austin Wells has been dealing with a circulatory issue on his catching hand and will be out a few days. Wells said there is damage to an artery in his index finger, likely from repeated impacts of catching pitches.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401696171

 

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