Luis Gil Gets It Done, with Help from Bellinger & Wells. NY 3 Toronto 1

September 7, 2025 paperbacklou 2025 0
Austin Wells tags incoming Bo Bichette out after rifle throw from right by Cody Bellinger to end the 6th and keep the score 2-1 Yankees.

Luis Gil was not perfect — walking 4 batters — but more than made up for it with a gritty outing of 6 innings, 3 hits, and 1 run to lead the Yanks to a 3-1 win over Toronto at a thunderstorm soaked Yankee Stadium on tropically warm Saturday afternoon.

Austin Wells drove in 2 of the Yankee runs with clutch sac flies, and then made a great catch and tag on a tremendous throw from Cody Bellinger in right that gunned down Bo Bichette at home to end the 6th inning and keep the score 2-1 at the time.

Then came the torrential thunderstorm rains — that delayed the game for 2 hours. When play resumed at 4:30pm, the Yanks put another run on the board with Wells’ 2nd sac fly — and then the bullpen of Luke Weaver, Fernando Cruz, and David Bednar shut the door.

A massive thunderstorm was brewing as the game ended, and rain continued into the evening. But the Yanks got the game in and the Huge win over Toronto to even the series 1-1 and pull to within 3 of them in the standings.

“Great play,” said manager Aaron Boone afterwards about Bellinger’s game-saving throw. “Off the bat it’s kind of pulled — I didn’t even think of having a play there. Obviously great throw; great job by Wells on the receiving end. Obviously a big out for us.”

On Gil, Boone said: “He’s still working it out — but you look up again and it’s 6 innings and 1 run against a really good lineup. You still want to limit the walks a little bit, but he’s wild enough around the zone and his stuff is good enough — I thought he had a really good slider today at times; he mixed well with his fastball/changeup; he’s a little unpredictable right now. And he doesn’t flinch — when things get a little away from him for an at bat or two, he’s unfazed and he has the ability to keep going. A big outing by him.”

NY improves to 79-63, and pull to within 3 of Toronto and 1.5 ahead of Boston, which lost. Toronto falls to 82-60.

1. The Martian & Wells Get 2 on Bassitt in 2nd

The Yanks came in looking to rebound from the 7-1 loss the night before when Kevin Gausman shut them down, but were facing another tough pitcher in Chris Bassitt, who came in with an 11-7 record.

Bassitt pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the 1st, but the Yanks got to him in the 2nd: A leadoff walk by Cody Bellinger (who would walk 3 times in the game), an error by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at 1st on a Jazz Chisholm Jr. hard-hit grounder — putting runners on 1st and 3rd with nobody out — and an RBI single by Jasson Dominguez made it 1-0 Yanks.

Bassitt struck out Anthony Volpe for the 1st out, but Austin Wells hit a SHOT to right center that had 2-run double written all over it — that Addison Barger made a tremendous, diving catch on. Still the run scored from 3rd for a sac fly and 2-0 Yankee lead.

2. Yanks Lose a Run in 5th on Close Call

The Yanks pressured Bassitt again in the 3rd after 2 were out: Aaron Judge singled to left and stole 2nd, Cody Bellinger walked — but Jazz Chisholm flied out.

The Yanks pressured Bassitt again in the 5th: a leadoff walk by Ryan McMahon, 1-out single by Ben Rice, and 2-out grounder to shortstop that Cody Bellinger beat out for an RBI infield single. But Toronto challenged the call and won — the umps declaring that Vlad tagged Bellinger on his cleat.

3. Gil Great

Meanwhile Luis Gil — in this important game — threw down.

His fastball was moving, as were his pitches in general — he walked 4. But he only allowed 3 hits and got big outs when he needed them.

Gil pitched around a 2-out double in the 1st, a 1-out walk in the 2nd, and a 2-out walk in the 3rd.

He walked the first 2 batters of the 4th, but then corrected himself and got ground out, ground out (by Isiah Kiner-Falefa to score a run) and fly out.

Gil then threw a 1-2-3 inning in the 5th.

4. Bellinger Game-Saving Play of Game

In the 6th — with impending thunderstorm threatening — Bo Bichette hit a 1-out double, but Gil got a foul out for the 2nd out in a 2-1 game.

Lukes then lined a 2-out single to right — but Cody Bellinger fielded and threw a 95-MPH strike home and Austin Wells made the great catch and tag to nail Bo Bichette and end the inning! NY 2 Toronto 1.

5. Volpe Double & Wells Sac Fly After Long Rain Delay

Two hours later…

The rain delay knocked out Chris Bassitt — who was only at 80 pitches — and forced Toronto to reach for their bullpen — namely 27-year-old, 6’1 righty Louis Varland.

As play resumed on the wet field, Jazz Chisholm Jr. led off the bottom of the 6th with a single — but then was thrown out trying to steal 2nd.

But Jasson Dominguez walked, and Anthony Volpe got a HUGE double to right — putting runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out.

Austin Wells then came thru with a sac fly to center — his league-leading 11th sac fly of the season. NY 3 Toronto 1. HUGE insurance run.

6. Weaver Shaky But Gets Hold

Luke Weaver pitched the 7th — and was shaky again — allowing a leadoff double to Isaiah Kiner-Falefa on a 1st-pitch, 95-MPH fastball.

But Weaver persevered — getting two easy flyouts and keeping Falefa on 2nd.

7. Fernando Saves Weaver and Gets Hold

Fernando Cruz relieved Weaver with the runner on 2nd and 2 outs to face George Springer — but walked Springer on 5 pitches.

But Cruz hung tough — getting Addison Barger to ground out to 1st to end the threat, stranding runners on 1st and 2nd. PHEW.

8. Bednar Saves Fernando & Gets Save

The Yanks did not get any more runs — Toronto’s lefty Brendan Little striking out the side in the 7th, and Yariel Rodriguez working around a leadoff walk to Bellinger to pitch a shutout 8th — so it was up to the Yankee pen to save it.

Fernando Cruz pitched the 8th — and allowed a leadoff single to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. — a grounder in the hole behind 2nd that Jazz Chisholm made a great play on — but Vlad beat it out.

Cruz hung tough again — using his filthy splitter to strike out Bo Bichette and get Daulton Varsho on an easy fly to center.

With 2 outs, David Bednar relieved Cruz — and immediately threw a wild pitch as Guerrero moved to 2nd. But Bednar struck out Nathan Lukes looking in a 7-pitch at bat.

To the 9th — the Yankees clinging to a 3-1 lead. And Bednar struck out Kiner-Falefa, got Andres Gimenez to ground out to McMahon at 3rd, and struck out Alejandro Kirk swinging at a 96-MPH fastball for the old ballgame.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401697036

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