The New York Yankees faced off against the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night, and while the contest wasn’t televised, the Yankees made their presence felt. Securing a 4-1 victory over Toronto, the bombers showed stellar pitching, thanks to starter Corey Kluber and a strong relief performance.
The Yankees sign Kluber to a one-year, $11 million deal earlier this off-season, with hopes that he can return to a Cy Young form back in 2018. He is two years removed from being considered one of the best pitchers in the MLB, tossing just 36.2 innings since his fantastic 2018 campaign. During that season, he recorded a 2.89 ERA and 20 wins over 215 innings.
However, Kluber showed a glimpse of what he’s capable of against the Blue Jays on Wednesday.
Good news and bad news for the New York Yankees:
Over two innings, Kluber recorded three strikeouts and didn’t allow a batter on base. In his first live-action in almost a year, he was fantastic and deserves the recognition of taking on the number two spot in the starting rotation behind Gerrit Cole. If Kluber pans out and can even replicate half of his abilities two years ago, the Yankees will have a fantastic 1-2 punch.
Kluber wasn’t the only pitcher to flash promise, as Nick Goody, Jonathan Loaisiga, and Kyle Barraclough all struck out two batters apiece. The bullpen got the job done, providing a sense of security for the Yanks, who are bullish on their relief options but lack the sample size of consistency to justify their optimism.
Offensively, a trio of homers helped to propel the Yanks to victory, a familiar sight for a team that predominately relies on the long ball. Catcher Gary Sanchez launched his second home run of spring training, driving one 393 feet to centerfield. Derek Dietrich also homered, his first of spring training. Just before the game concluded, Robinson Chirinos sent a ball 414 feet to left field. Quite the power shot for the little guy!
Again, there wasn’t too much bad news for the Yankees in this contest, aside from Giancarlo Stanton striking out twice. However, it was his first action of spring training, meaning it will take him time and at-bats to begin seeing the ball efficiently.