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CBC
5 days ago
- Sport
- CBC
Old school baseball carries Blue Jays to top of AL East: 'I think we have a team identity'
The Toronto Blue Jays made a strong case for old school baseball in their series win over the long ball-loving New York Yankees. Bo Bichette's two-run homer capped off a wild victory as Toronto held on for an 8-4 win over the visiting Yankees on Wednesday. The Blue Jays' other six runs came from smart baserunning, heads-up plays, and forcing New York into a handful of errors. "Geez, we can score runs in so many different ways," said infielder Ernie Clement, who went 2-for-4, including a triple, scoring a run and driving in another. "Pitching has been a common theme for the last few years. Those guys just give us a chance to win every single night. "Now we're rounding it out, we've got a little offence to go along with it. I think we really have a team identity. Whether that's old school baseball or just playing the game the right way, I don't know." Toronto benefited from New York's four errors and other fielding miscues, eking out runs on walks, dropped balls, wild pitches, and overthrows. Bichette's two-run blast, his 13th home run of the year, was the Blue Jays' cleanest score of the game as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had led off the inning with a double. Clement believes Toronto's hard-nosed approach put pressure on the Yankees' fielders to play defence faster, leading to their handful of mistakes. "They know we play the game hard," said Clement. "There's no doubt that they pick their heads up [after fielding the ball] and we're halfway to first base, head down, running hard. "As a fielder, that puts all the pressure in the world on you. You've got to be clean. If you bobble the ball at all, I mean, we're safe." The Blue Jays and Yankees have played seven games at Rogers Centre in the past two weeks, with Toronto going 6-1 to take a four-game lead in the American League East, lock up the season series and therefore the tiebreaker should the two teams end the year with identical records. "In these two series, we've given them too many outs and it's cost us," said New York manager Aaron Boone. "You can't give good teams extra outs. "And, again, that's what we've done in these two series." 'Working their butts off' Chris Bassitt (11-4) was solid for 7 1/3 innings, striking out eight and allowing four runs (three earned) on three hits and no walks. Blue Jays relievers Justin Bruihl and Yariel Rodriguez preserved the win. "Every single day, they're working their absolute butts off, and then they go out there and they're giving effort," said Bassitt of Toronto's positions players. "Extremely old school, I would say. "If you know me, I'm a fan of old school. I love this team." By contrast, New York lives and dies by the long ball. All four of the Yankees runs came from homers on Wednesday. New York entered the game with a Major League Baseball-best 162 home runs, five more than the Los Angeles Dodgers. Shohei Ohtani had L.A.'s one homer in its 4-3 win over the Minnesota Twins earlier Wednesday. The Blue Jays travel to Detroit for a four-game series starting Thursday. The Central-leading Tigers play a scrappier style of baseball like Toronto and it shows in their record. The Blue Jays (60-42) are tied with the West-leading Houston Astros for the best record in the American League, with Detroit a half-game behind them. "We're going to play a team that does the exact same thing in Detroit, so you have to be ready for it," said Toronto manager John Schneider. "This game is hard; you know what I mean? This game is hard. "I think that every team is built a little bit differently, so we really pride ourselves on taking care of the baseball." Eric Lauer (5-2) will take the mound for the Blue Jays in Detroit. Reese Olson (4-3) gets the start for the Tigers (60-43), who have dropped eight of their past nine games.
Hamilton Spectator
5 days ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Old school baseball carries Blue Jays past Yankees and to the top of the AL East
TORONTO - The Toronto Blue Jays made a strong case for old school baseball in their series win over the long-ball loving New York Yankees. Bo Bichette's two-run homer capped off a wild victory as Toronto held on for an 8-4 win over the visiting Yankees on Wednesday. The Blue Jays' other six runs came from smart baserunning, heads-up plays, and forcing New York into a handful of errors. 'Geez, we can score runs in so many different ways,' said Ernie Clement, who went 2 for 4 at the plate, including a triple, scoring a run and driving in another. 'Pitching has been a common theme for the last few years. Those guys just give us a chance to win every single night. 'Now we're rounding it out, we've got a little offence to go along with it. I think we really have a team identity. Whether that's old school baseball or just playing the game the right way, I don't know.' Toronto benefited from New York's four errors and other fielding miscues, eking out runs on walks, dropped balls, wild pitches, and overthrows. Bichette's two-run blast — his 13th home run of the year — was the Blue Jays' cleanest score of the game as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had led off the inning with a double. Clement believes that Toronto's hard-nosed approach put pressure on the Yankees' fielders to play defence faster, leading to their handful of mistakes. 'They know we play the game hard,' said Clement. 'There's no doubt that they pick their heads up (after fielding the ball) and we're halfway to first base, head down, running hard. 'As a fielder, that puts all the pressure in the world on you. You've got to be clean. If you bobble the ball at all, I mean, we're safe.' The Blue Jays and Yankees have played seven games at Rogers Centre in the past two weeks, with Toronto going 6-1 to take a four-game lead in the American League East, lock up the season series and therefore the tiebreaker should the two teams end the year with identical records. 'In these two series, we've given them too many outs and it's cost us,' said New York manager Aaron Boone. 'You can't give good teams extra outs. 'And, again, that's what we've done in these two series.' Chris Bassitt (11-4) was solid for 7 1/3 innings, striking out eight and allowing four runs — three earned — on three hits and no walks. Blue Jays relievers Justin Bruihl and Yariel Rodriguez preserved the win. 'Every single day, they're working their absolute butts off, and then they go out there and they're giving effort,' said Bassitt of Toronto's positions players. 'Extremely old school, I would say. 'If you know me, I'm a fan of old school. I love this team.' By contrast, New York lives and dies by the long ball. All four of the Yankees runs came from homers on Wednesday. New York entered the game with a Major League Baseball-best 162 home runs, five more than the Los Angeles Dodgers. Shohei Ohtani had L.A.'s one homer in its 4-3 win over the Minnesota Twins earlier Wednesday. The Blue Jays travel to Detroit for a four-game series starting Thursday. The Central-leading Tigers play a more scrappy style of baseball similar to Toronto and it shows in their record. The Blue Jays (60-42) are tied with the West-leading Houston Astros for the best record in the American League, with Detroit a half-game behind them. 'We're going to play a team that does the exact same thing in Detroit, so you have to be ready for it,' said Toronto manager John Schneider. 'This game is hard, you know what I mean? This game is hard. 'I think that every team is built a little bit differently, so we really pride ourselves on taking care of the baseball.' Eric Lauer (5-2) will take the mound for the Blue Jays in Detroit. Reese Olson (4-3) gets the start for the Tigers (60-43). This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 23, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
5 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Old school baseball carries Blue Jays past Yankees and to the top of the AL East
TORONTO – The Toronto Blue Jays made a strong case for old school baseball in their series win over the long-ball loving New York Yankees. Bo Bichette's two-run homer capped off a wild victory as Toronto held on for an 8-4 win over the visiting Yankees on Wednesday. The Blue Jays' other six runs came from smart baserunning, heads-up plays, and forcing New York into a handful of errors. 'Geez, we can score runs in so many different ways,' said Ernie Clement, who went 2 for 4 at the plate, including a triple, scoring a run and driving in another. 'Pitching has been a common theme for the last few years. Those guys just give us a chance to win every single night. 'Now we're rounding it out, we've got a little offence to go along with it. I think we really have a team identity. Whether that's old school baseball or just playing the game the right way, I don't know.' Toronto benefited from New York's four errors and other fielding miscues, eking out runs on walks, dropped balls, wild pitches, and overthrows. Bichette's two-run blast — his 13th home run of the year — was the Blue Jays' cleanest score of the game as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had led off the inning with a double. Clement believes that Toronto's hard-nosed approach put pressure on the Yankees' fielders to play defence faster, leading to their handful of mistakes. 'They know we play the game hard,' said Clement. 'There's no doubt that they pick their heads up (after fielding the ball) and we're halfway to first base, head down, running hard. 'As a fielder, that puts all the pressure in the world on you. You've got to be clean. If you bobble the ball at all, I mean, we're safe.' The Blue Jays and Yankees have played seven games at Rogers Centre in the past two weeks, with Toronto going 6-1 to take a four-game lead in the American League East, lock up the season series and therefore the tiebreaker should the two teams end the year with identical records. 'In these two series, we've given them too many outs and it's cost us,' said New York manager Aaron Boone. 'You can't give good teams extra outs. 'And, again, that's what we've done in these two series.' Chris Bassitt (11-4) was solid for 7 1/3 innings, striking out eight and allowing four runs — three earned — on three hits and no walks. Blue Jays relievers Justin Bruihl and Yariel Rodriguez preserved the win. 'Every single day, they're working their absolute butts off, and then they go out there and they're giving effort,' said Bassitt of Toronto's positions players. 'Extremely old school, I would say. 'If you know me, I'm a fan of old school. I love this team.' By contrast, New York lives and dies by the long ball. All four of the Yankees runs came from homers on Wednesday. New York entered the game with a Major League Baseball-best 162 home runs, five more than the Los Angeles Dodgers. Shohei Ohtani had L.A.'s one homer in its 4-3 win over the Minnesota Twins earlier Wednesday. The Blue Jays travel to Detroit for a four-game series starting Thursday. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. The Central-leading Tigers play a more scrappy style of baseball similar to Toronto and it shows in their record. The Blue Jays (60-42) are tied with the West-leading Houston Astros for the best record in the American League, with Detroit a half-game behind them. 'We're going to play a team that does the exact same thing in Detroit, so you have to be ready for it,' said Toronto manager John Schneider. 'This game is hard, you know what I mean? This game is hard. 'I think that every team is built a little bit differently, so we really pride ourselves on taking care of the baseball.' Eric Lauer (5-2) will take the mound for the Blue Jays in Detroit. Reese Olson (4-3) gets the start for the Tigers (60-43). This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 23, 2025.
Hamilton Spectator
5 days ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Bo Bichette's two-run homer caps Blue Jays' wild 8-4 win over rival Yankees
TORONTO - Bo Bichette's two-run homer capped off a wild vicotry as the Toronto Blue Jays held off the New York Yankees 8-4 on Wednesday. The victory tied the Blue Jays with the Houston Astros for the best record in the American League. Myles Straw's double drove in Ernie Clement for the go-ahead run in the sixth inning as Toronto (60-42) won the best-of-three series and locked up the tiebreaker between the two AL East rivals. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had an RBI double in the fourth, then drove in two more runs in the fifth on a fielder's choice, as the Blue Jays and Yankees traded leads. Clement's basehit in the fourth also scored a runner and pinch-hitter Will Wagner plated Straw in the sixth. Chris Bassitt (11-4) was solid for 7 1/3 innings, striking out eight and allowing four runs — three earned — on three hits and no walks. Relievers Justin Bruihl and Yariel Rodriguez preserved the win. Aaron Judge's two-run homer in the sixth tied the game 4-4 for New York (56-46), but that lead disappeared in the bottom of the inning thanks to Straw and Wagner's RBIs. Jasson Dominguez had a home run in the second and Anthony Volpe added a solo shot in the fifth. Ace Max Fried (11-4) struggled, giving up five runs — four earned — on six hits and three walks, striking out three over 5 1/3 innings. Jonathan Loaisiga, Scott Effross and JT Brubaker all came out of the visitor's bullpen, with Effross giving up two runs. Takeaways Yankees: The long ball remains the key to success for New York, with all four of its runs coming from homers. The Yankees entered the game with a Major League Baseball-best 162 home runs, five more than the Los Angeles Dodgers. Shohei Ohtani had L.A.'s one homer in its 4-3 win over the Minnesota Twins earlier Wednesday. Blue Jays: Toronto benefited greatly from New York's four errors and other fielding miscues, eking out runs on walks, dropped balls, wild pitches, and overthrows. Bichette's two-run blast — his 13th home run of the year — was the Blue Jays' cleanest score of the game as Guerrero had led off the inning with a double. Key moment Davis Schneider was caught stealing by Yankees catcher J.C. Escarra with one out in the fifth inning. A video replay overturned the call on the field, however. George Springer drew a walk in the next at bat and Guerrero drove them both home when Escarra dropped the ball trying to tag Schneider at the plate. Key stat The Blue Jays expanded their lead in the AL East to four games over New York with the victory. Toronto and the Yankees will play three more times this year but the Blue Jays now have the tiebreaker should they wind up with identical records by the end of the regular season. Up next Eric Lauer (5-2) will take the mound as the Blue Jays begin a four-game series in Detroit. Reese Olson (4-3) gets the start for the AL Central-leading Tigers (60-43). This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 23, 2025.
Global News
5 days ago
- Sport
- Global News
Bichette's two-run shot caps wild Blue Jays' win
TORONTO – Bo Bichette's two-run homer capped off a wild vicotry as the Toronto Blue Jays held off the New York Yankees 8-4 on Wednesday. The victory tied the Blue Jays with the Houston Astros for the best record in the American League. Myles Straw's double drove in Ernie Clement for the go-ahead run in the sixth inning as Toronto (60-42) won the best-of-three series and locked up the tiebreaker between the two AL East rivals. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had an RBI double in the fourth, then drove in two more runs in the fifth on a fielder's choice, as the Blue Jays and Yankees traded leads. Clement's basehit in the fourth also scored a runner and pinch-hitter Will Wagner plated Straw in the sixth. Chris Bassitt (11-4) was solid for 7 1/3 innings, striking out eight and allowing four runs — three earned — on three hits and no walks. Relievers Justin Bruihl and Yariel Rodriguez preserved the win. Story continues below advertisement Aaron Judge's two-run homer in the sixth tied the game 4-4 for New York (56-46), but that lead disappeared in the bottom of the inning thanks to Straw and Wagner's RBIs. Jasson Dominguez had a home run in the second and Anthony Volpe added a solo shot in the fifth. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Ace Max Fried (11-4) struggled, giving up five runs — four earned — on six hits and three walks, striking out three over 5 1/3 innings. Jonathan Loaisiga, Scott Effross and JT Brubaker all came out of the visitor's bullpen, with Effross giving up two runs. Takeaways Yankees: The long ball remains the key to success for New York, with all four of its runs coming from homers. The Yankees entered the game with a Major League Baseball-best 162 home runs, five more than the Los Angeles Dodgers. Shohei Ohtani had L.A.'s one homer in its 4-3 win over the Minnesota Twins earlier Wednesday. Story continues below advertisement Blue Jays: Toronto benefited greatly from New York's four errors and other fielding miscues, eking out runs on walks, dropped balls, wild pitches, and overthrows. Bichette's two-run blast — his 13th home run of the year — was the Blue Jays' cleanest score of the game as Guerrero had led off the inning with a double. Key moment Davis Schneider was caught stealing by Yankees catcher J.C. Escarra with one out in the fifth inning. A video replay overturned the call on the field, however. George Springer drew a walk in the next at bat and Guerrero drove them both home when Escarra dropped the ball trying to tag Schneider at the plate. Key stat The Blue Jays expanded their lead in the AL East to four games over New York with the victory. Toronto and the Yankees will play three more times this year but the Blue Jays now have the tiebreaker should they wind up with identical records by the end of the regular season. Up next Eric Lauer (5-2) will take the mound as the Blue Jays begin a four-game series in Detroit. Reese Olson (4-3) gets the start for the AL Central-leading Tigers (60-43). This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 23, 2025. Story continues below advertisement
