Daily Report – 5/19/26
Yankees
Last night, Aaron Boone did the impermissible: He deployed David Bednar in the ninth inning.
The Yankees were leading the Toronto Blue Jays by two runs in the bottom of the ninth, so somebody had to close the game. Bednar was lucky to have a two-run lead to work with (although three runs were insufficient coverage the day before).
It took Bednar 36 pitches and three baserunners, but he finally secured his 11th save of the season, and the Yankees defeated the Blue Jays 7-6.
“He didn’t flinch,” said manager Aaron Boone. “He kept making pitches [against] two really tough customers.”
Bednar certainly did flinch, but sure, he bounced back. He started by walking Ernie Clement before pinch-hitter Jesús Sánchez doubled, making it a one-run game. After his first out, Bednar issued another walk, which meant he had to face notorious Yankee killers George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
In the fifth inning, with two outs, Springer homered off Ryan Weathers. It was a gut-punch for the lefty, who, with two strikes and two outs, gave up a tough three-run homer to Ernie Clement in the previous frame. The Yankees grinded it out on the bases to tie the game in the bottom of the fourth, but Weathers continued to leak oil.
However, Bednar wasn’t going to let Springer have his way with the Yankees this time. After missing with a pair of splitters, Bednar issued a sky-high fastball to dig himself a 3-0 hole. Yet, somehow, Springer whiffed at Bednar’s next three splitters and struck out.
“After the leadoff walk, I said, ‘That’s not gonna happen again,’” Bednar claimed. “I had to dig deep and get gritty. The guys needed me to do my job. It wasn’t pretty.”
Also on Bednar’s mind, and the rest of his run-it-back teammates, was the way last season ended. Toronto imposed its will against the Yankees, especially their pitching staff, throughout the ALDS, ultimately prevailing in four games.
Guerrero was Toronto’s best offensive player last postseason, and he has always knocked the Yankees around. He had a chance to be the Blue Jays’ hero yesterday, but instead, he grounded an 0-2 splitter to second base, where Jazz Chisholm Jr. was waiting to fire to first.
“Just find a way,” Bednar said of his strategy last night. “There’s a way out of every situation. I think it really just comes down to executing one pitch at a time and really slowing it all down. As simple as it sounds, it’s a lot harder to do.”
Bednar definitely remembers not just how last season ended, but how his team’s 5-8 regular-season record against Toronto decided the division. Had the Yankees won one more game against the Blue Jays, they would have won the American League East, earned a bye to the ALDS, secured home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, and maybe even won the World Series (Toronto lost in seven games).
“Losing to them in the playoffs, we have a different mindset when it comes to them,” Chisholm said. “I know a couple of other guys in the clubhouse have that feeling of, ‘We owe you something, and we’re going to show you what we’ve got.’”
Toronto took the lead in the fifth inning on Springer’s solo blast and extended it to 5-3 in the sixth inning. Paul Blackburn relieved Weathers with runners at first and third base, but he couldn’t strike out Ernie Clement, who homered in the fourth inning and finished last year’s postseason with a .411 batting average in 18 games.
It felt like the Yankees had another rough ending in store, but they battled back by scoring four runs in the seventh inning, all with two outs. Against Yariel Rodríguez, Aaron Judge singled, and Cody Bellinger homered to tie the game.
Then, Trent Grisham, pinch-hitting for Amed Rosario, worked a six-pitch walk, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. doinked a slider off the left-field foul pole for a go-ahead two-run home run. It was the Yankees’ second straight win against Toronto that included a dinger off that foul pole (Judge’s big ALDS moment).
Chisholm has been wearing Giancarlo Stanton’s pants for weeks, which he believes has brought him good luck. After yesterday’s game, Chisholm admitted he used José Caballero’s bat to hit his home run.
“It will always be [Stanton’s pants] and José’s bat,” Chisholm said. After all, he is batting 10-for-24 (.417) in his last seven games, so the combination must be working.
Before yesterday’s game, the Yankees optioned Elmer Rodríguez to Triple-A to add another reliever, Yovanny Cruz. This also opens the door for Gerrit Cole to start Friday’s game against Tampa Bay. To be clear, this scenario is unlikely, as Cole likely needs one more rehab start before returning to the Big League mound for the first time since 2024.
“We just want to do the right thing,” Aaron Boone said. “What’s the right timing? Whenever we [call up Cole], it’s with the long game in mind. A need [in the rotation] doesn’t necessarily mean we’re bringing him back. If we feel he’s absolutely ready to go and checks all the boxes, then we’ll make that call.”
Before the game, Boone also addressed the Yankees’ situation at catcher. He left Austin Wells, the team’s starter, out of yesterday’s lineup for the second straight game. JC Escarra backs up Wells, but his .163 batting average isn’t much better than Wells’s .173.
The Yankees’ catching depth will continue to be a focus this season.
Tonight, at 7:05 PM, the Yankees will send RHP Will Warren (5-1, 3.42 ERA) to the mound against the righty Dylan Cease (3-1, 2.41 ERA) (YES, Gotham Sports). Both pitchers have been some of the most consistent in the American League.
Here is tonight’s starting lineup for the New York Yankees:
CF Trent Grisham (L)
1B Ben Rice (L)
RF Aaron Judge (C)
LF Cody Bellinger (L)
2B Jazz Chisholm Jr. (L)
3B Ryan McMahon (L)
SS Anthony Volpe (R)
DH Spencer Jones (L)
C Austin Wells (L)
SP: RHP Will Warren (5-1, 3.42 ERA)
Schedule
7:05 PM: NYY vs. TOR; YES, Gotham Sports; SP: RHP Will Warren (5-1, 3.42 ERA) vs. RHP Dylan Cease (3-1, 2.41 ERA)
8:10 PM: 2026 NBA Eastern Conference Finals, Game 1 – NYK (3) vs. CLE (4); ESPN, ESPN App
7:00 PM: Knicks Playoff Pregame; MSG, Gotham Sports
8:00 PM: NBA Courtside; ESPN, ESPN App
Cover Image Courtesy: New York Yankees
