Aaron Judge gave the Yankees an 8-1 lead over the Blue Jays after two innings in the opening game

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TORONTO — What a difference a year can make for a Major League Baseball pitcher.

Aaron Judge’s two-run homer gave New York an early lead that the Yankees never relinquished in Sunday’s 8-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. Kevin Gausman gave up seven runs on seven hits and five walks in 4 1/3 innings, dropping his record to 6-7.

“I think they had a good game plan against me and it was a tight hitting zone. I don’t think it helped me at all,” Gausman said. “That’s not typical for me.

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“I pride myself on attacking and not giving away bases for free.”

Gausman’s numbers and 4.75 earned-run average are a stark contrast to last season, in which he was named to the All-Star Game for a second time, led the American League with 237 strikeouts, had a 2.97 ERA and finished third in voting for the Cy Young Award, an award given to the AL’s best pitcher.

“The game has changed a lot in the last few years. I’ll say this,” Gausman said, referring to the pitch clock, PitchCom wireless communicators and the rules for retreat. “There are ways teams try to find a way to beat you, and you have to tie every knot you can.

“I had to change a few things and it was good for me in that aspect, but of course I still conceded seven runs today. So it’s not great.”

Justin Turner’s RBI single in the fourth inning was the only run for Toronto (38-45). Vladimir Guerrero Jr. extended his hitting streak to six games with a single in the first inning but was hit by a pitch in the third.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider pulled Guerrero in the sixth inning but said X-rays came back negative and there were no signs of a break.

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“I took them to where the game was,” Schneider said. “It was bothering him a bit, so I didn’t want to make it worse.

I hope he will be in good shape tomorrow and I hope he will be.

Genesis Cabrera, Nate Pearson, Jose Cuas, Chad Green and Bowden Francis all came out of the Blue Jays bullpen.

DJ LeMahieu scored two more points with a single and a double as New York (54-32) split the four-game series. Trent Grisham added a two-run double and Ben Rice had an RBI single.

Gerrit Cole (1-1) allowed one run on three hits and a walk over five innings. Last year’s Cy Young Award winner scored six runs and lowered his earned run average to 6.23 in just his second start of the season.

He added that he made a conscious effort to improve his leadership skills between appearances.

“It’s part of the preparation process,” said Cole, who began the season on New York’s 60-day injured list because of inflammation and swelling in his elbow. “As you get stronger and gain momentum, you will have to tinker here and there.

“I thought it was better today. It’s certainly not where it should be, but it’s definitely improved.

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Michael Tonkin, Tim Hill and Josh Maciejewski combined to produce four innings of scoreless relief for the Yankees.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER — Soto joined the Yankees late, being added to the batting order six minutes into Game 1. He missed Saturday’s 9-3 loss to the Blue Jays with a right hand injury.

“I got a text from (Yankees manager Aaron Boone) at 1:19, I think that was it,” Schneider said of the 1:37 start. “They told us about a different lineup and then they changed it back, but yeah, it was quite late.

“It didn’t affect Kevin at all. We called there as soon as we found out. Nothing really moves Kevin when he’s getting ready.”

ON BOARD – MLB rookie Yariel Rodriguez (0-2) will be in the starting lineup as Toronto hosts the Houston Astros in the Canada Day game.

Francis will likely step up to the plate for the Blue Jays after Rodriguez, as the starter remains limited in pitching.

Hunter Brown (5-5) will be in Houston for his only American League game on Monday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 30, 2024.

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