Yanks Can’t Catch the Ball. Toronto 8 NY 4

July 24, 2025 paperbacklou 2025 0
Anthony Volpe HIGH Homer to left ties game 2-2 in 5th.

The Yanks wasted heroic homeruns by Jasson Dominguez, Anthony Volpe, and Aaron Judge because they couldn’t catch the baseball all night — in a continuing epidemic of bad defense that has harangued them the last 2 months.

This was supposed to be a good defensive team — and was the first 2 months of the year.

Not lately.

The Yanks started the night playing good defense — including a spectacular catch by Trent Grisham in the 1st inning, and excellent D all night from Oswald Peraza at 3rd, making up for his poor play of the night before. Jasson Dominguez hit a HR to put NY up 1-0 and all was looking good.

But every time a Yankee got a heroic hit, the defense coughed up runs back to Toronto.

  • Anthony Volpe hit a heroic HR to tie the game 2-2 in the top of the 5th. But in the bottom of the 5th, Max Fried — multi-time Gold Glover — threw wide to home on a nibbler down 3rd, and J.C. Escarra couldn’t catch it as 2 runs scored. Toronto 4 NY 2.
  • Aaron Judge hit a heroic 2-run HR to tie the game 4-4 in the top of the 6th. But in the bottom of the 6th, Cody Bellinger — Gold Glover who has been fantastic defensively wherever the Yanks have played him — lost a ball in the twilight of an open-roof Rogers Center, causing an easy fly ball to become a leadoff triple by Ernie Clement. Next batter Myles Straw doubled to put Toronto up 5-4 and end the night for Max Fried.
  • Two batters later, an inning-ending grounder to 1st bounced off Ben Rice‘s glove and another run scored; Toronto 6 NY 4. (Ben Rice also couldn’t catch a throw from Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the 5th on a double-play attempt; error charged to Jazz.)
  • Then Jasson Dominguez flubbed a single into a double by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. leading off the 7th — and next batter Bo Bichette put the game away with a 2-run HR.

Final score Blue Jays 8 Yankees 4 on a Wednesday night in Toronto and afterwards fingers were pointing all over the place as to why this Yankee team — built for defense — can’t field.

“I think we have a very good defensive club, but clearly in the 7 games we’ve played up here we’ve given them extra outs,” said manager Aaron Boone afterwards. “I think it’s here; I think it’s in this building we haven’t played well. Defense was good down in Atlanta. We’ve had a couple of players go thru it a little bit. But overall we should be moving forward a good defensive club. I don’t know if it’s coming to the turf; that’s not really an excuse.”

It was a devastating loss as the Blue Jays take 2 of 3 in the series, and have now beaten the Yankees 6 of 7 times this year. NY falls to 56-46 and are now 4 back of Toronto, which is 60-42.

1. The Defense Started Off Good — Thanks to Grisham

The Yankee defense started off good — thanks to Trent Grisham, Gold Glove centerfielder who made a spectacular catch in the bottom of the 1st to help Yank starter Max Fried out.

2. The Martian HR Gives NY 1-0 Lead

Toronto starter Chris Bassitt was tough — only allowed 3 hits all night — but Jasson Dominguez got to him in the top of the 2nd with a rocket into the right field bleachers for a 1-0 Yankee lead.

3. Blue Jays Break Up Fried No-Hitter in 4th

Fried was pitching great — retiring the first 10 batters of the game — but with 1-out in the 4th, George Springer singled to center and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. doubled to left for a 1-1 tie.

Fried got the 2nd out — but then issued a walk to Alejandro Kirk and allowed an infield single to Addison Barger that Oswald Peraza made a diving stop on but couldn’t throw him out.

With 2 outs, bases loaded, Ernie Clement singled in a run to center for a 2-1 Blue Jays lead.

Oswald Peraza made a terrific play on a short grounder by Miles Straw to end the inning — leaving the bases loaded. The Yank defense was looking good!

4. Volpe HR Ties It 2-2 in 5th

And then Anthony Volpe hit a HIGH fly ball to left for a solo HR and 2-2 tie in the top of the 5th.

5. Blue Jays Take 4-2 Lead Off Fried Wild Pitch & Error

But in the bottom of the 5th the Yankee defense started to frey — by Fried himself.

Fried issued a 1-out walk to Schneider, then threw a pitch in the dirt — but JC Escarra made a great throw to 2nd to nail Schneider trying to move up. Unfortunately the call was overturned and Fried was charged with a wild pitch.

Fried then walked George Springer, and threw another wild pitch — allowing the runners to move up to 2nd and 3rd.

And then a little squibbler down 3rd by Vlad Guerrero Jr. was fielded by the Gold Glover Fried — but he hustled a throw wide of home that JC Escarra couldn’t come up with — it barreled away from him and 2 runs scored.

Bo Bichette lined out to Jazz Chisholm for the 2nd out — and Chisholm rifled a throw to 1st but Ben Rice couldn’t catch it — and Vlad moved to 2nd. Error charged to Jazz.

Fried got the final out so the error didn’t cost. But it was a precursor of more bad to come.

6. Judge HR Ties it 4-4 in 6th

Trent Grisham got on to lead off the 6th on a Blue Jay error — by Guerrero at 1st.

And then Aaron Judge saved the day — at the time — by rocketing a 398-foot homer to right center off Bassitt for a 4-4 tie.

7. Blue Jays Take 6-4 Lead on Comedy of Errors

And then came the bottom of the 6th.

Ernie Clement hit a high fly to right that Cody Bellinger lost in the hazy twilight. It landed behind him for a triple.

Next batter Miles Straw doubled down the line in left and it was 5-4 Toronto. End of night for Max Fried.

Jonathan Loaisiga came in and got a fly out, moving Straw to 3rd, and then got the final out of the inning — a hard grounder to Rice at 1st. But it bounded off Rice’s glove and it was 6-4 Toronto.

8. Another Yank Error in 7th; Bichette HR Nails It

Scott Effross pitched the 7th — NY down 6-4.

First batter Vladimir Guerrero Jr. singled to left, and Jasson Dominguez casually booted the ball allowing Vlad to go to 2nd.

It really didn’t matter because next batter Bo Bichette hit a 360-foot HR to left and Toronto broke the game open with an 8-4 lead.

9. Yanks Rally in 8th to No Avail

Bassitt pitched into the 8th. He allowed only 3 hits — the 3 Yankee homeruns.

He got the first out of the 8th and was relieved by J. Bruihl — and the Yankees pounced: Grisham and Bellinger with consecutive singles — and here came Aaron Judge.

But Judge hit into a double play to end the inning.

Yuriel Rodriguez pitched the 9th for Toronto — and got line out, fly out, and line out for the old ballgame.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401696440

 

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