Stanton pounds Blue Jays in dominant Yankees’ debut
New slugger homers twice in 6-1 season-opening win
TORONTO (CP) — J.A. Happ threw 96 pitches in Toronto’s opening-day loss to the New York Yankees on Thursday afternoon. He was happy with all but one of them.
Happ missed on a fastball to Giancarlo Stanton in the first inning and the 2017 NL MVP launched it over the right-centre field fence for a two-run homer, putting the Yankees up early en route to a 6-1 win over the Blue Jays.
Stanton, the Yankees’ prized off-season acquisition, homered twice and drove in four runs in his New York debut.
“I tried to throw a two-seamer and I just pulled it a little bit. That’s a pitch I’d like to have back,” said Happ, who threw 4 2/3 innings and allowed three runs (two earned), four hits and one walk while striking out five in his first career opening-day start.
“The reality is sometimes one mistake is one too many to win a ballgame.”
Catcher Russell Martin agreed with the veteran left-hander’s assessment.
“Really if there was one pitch we could have back, it would be the one to Stanton. Kind of a two-seamer away that pulled and caught the middle of the plate and he put a good swing on it,” Martin said. “But overall I liked what he did. We just didn’t score enough runs for him.”
Luis Severino had a lot to do with that. The Yankees starter struck out seven and held Toronto to just one hit and three walks over 5 2/3 innings.
Brett Gardner also homered and Gary Sanchez drove in another run for New York (1-0).
Kevin Pillar supplied Toronto’s (0-1) offence with a solo homer off reliever Dellin Betances in the eighth inning.
All-star third baseman Josh Donaldson, who was slowed by a shoulder issue early in spring training, struggled with weak throws throughout the game. Manager John Gibbons said Donaldson’s arm “feels kinda dead, not injured.”
“I’ve been feeling it a little bit all spring, it’s just kinda been ongoing back and forth,” Donaldson elaborated. “But I don’t have any pain or anything like that, so that’s always good. It’s just getting the strength back.”
Donaldson said he’ll be cautious with the shoulder and Gibbons suggested he’d DH his star third baseman until he feels better. A quick fix would be ideal for Toronto, which is already without shortstop Troy Tulowitzki for the foreseeable future.
The team placed Tulowitzki on the 60-day disabled list with bone spurs in both his heels earlier in the day. He hasn’t played since sustaining an ankle injury last July.
The Blue Jays were outhit 11-2 and struck out 12 times on Thursday.
“When you have Severino pitching like he was today, it’s going to be difficult,” Donaldson said. “We have to disrupt him somehow, get some runners on base.”
Pillar’s eighth-inning homer was just Toronto’s second hit of the game.
Attendance was 48,115.