PLENTY OF FIGHT over Toronto
Yankees put up arms in win
TORONTO – The Yankees aren’t going down without a fight.
Benches cleared twice during the second inning of Monday night’s Yankees-Blue Jays game at Rogers Centre, resulting in the ejection of Luis Severino, Joe Girardi, Rob Thomson and Larry Rothschild. Oh, there was also a baseball game. The Yankees snapped their four-game losing streak with a come-from-behind 7-5 victory over the Blue Jays, scoring five runs in the ninth inning before holding on to keep their miniscule postseason hopes alive for another day.
“I told you we’re going to fight,” Girardi said. “And that’s what we’re going to do.”
Mark Teixeira belted a game-tying solo home run against Jason Grilli in the ninth, staring at his shot, flipping his bat and taking his time getting around the bases, eliciting glares from Grilli and catcher Russell Martin.
“It could be my last one,” said Teixeira, who plans to retire after the season. “Those guys do it all the time. They have fun with it. It’s the first time I’ve ever done it, so I’ll have fun with it, too.”
(It was actually Teixeira’s second, as he flipped his bat after hitting his 401st home run in July against the Padres.)
Two batters later, Aaron Hicks slugged a two-run homer off Grilli, part of a five-run Yankees inning.
“Huge hit from Hicksy, and then just to keep it going,” Girardi said. “Obviously those runs were important.”
That’s because Dellin Betances was a mess once again in the ninth, loading the bases without recording an out. Tommy Layne allowed two runs to score before putting out the fire, earning his fourth career save.
The Yankees trail the Orioles by five games for the second wild card spot with six games left on the schedule. Their elimination number remained at two.
Still, fans in the Bronx have a better chance of seeing the Red Sox celebrate an AL East title at the Stadium this week than the Yankees toasting much more than David Ortiz.
“We’re probably not going to make the playoffs,” Teixeira said, “so we’re just going to enjoy ourselves the rest of the year and keep fighting.”
Severino, who started the game in place of the injured Masahiro Tanaka, took the mound with a 1-0 lead in the first. He hit Josh Donaldson in the elbow guard, though it didn’t appear to be intentional. After Edwin Encarnacion singled, Severino walked Jose Bautista and Martin, another sign that the pitcher’s command was not sharp.
Blue Jays starter J.A. Happ must have believed Severino hit Donaldson on purpose, as he threw behind Chase Headley with his first pitch of the second inning, then hit him with his next pitch.
Headley glared at Happ, prompting both benches to slowly empty. Girardi was ejected from the game, while home plate umpire Todd Tichenor issued a warning to Happ and to both benches.
“I was a little surprised he was allowed to stay in the game,” Headley said. “I was probably more upset with the umpire than I was with the Blue Jays at the time.”
Severino came out for the bottom of the second and threw his first pitch way inside to Justin Smoak, then hit him with his next pitch, causing players from both dugouts to rush to the field.
Kevin Pillar led the charge from the on-deck circle, causing Severino to drop his glove and hat and motion to Pillar, inviting him to come and get him.
“I saw him running at me,” Severino said. “We’re men; I have to defend myself. I wasn’t trying to hit anybody.”
Pandemonium ensued as the two teams clashed in the middle of the field. Gary Sanchez and Martin screamed at each other, separated by several of their respective teammates, while CC Sabathia was visibly hot, tangling with Smoak. Tyler Austin got caught in the scrum, escaping with a scrape on his face thanks to a stray fingernail.
“It’s part of the game,” Sabathia said. “Just a natural reaction; I’m sticking up for my guys.”
Once order was restored, ejections had been settled and Joe Espada had assumed the role of manager, the Blue Jays scored twice in the third to take a 3-1 lead. It stayed that way until the eighth, when the Yankees scored a run to end Happ’s night.