Blue Jays’ Trey Yesavage Wows Fans With 5.1 Hitless Innings, 11 Strikeouts vs. Yankees

Three days after the New York Yankees got a historic playoff performance from their best rookie pitcher, they were on the receiving end one of an instantly iconic postseason debut by Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Trey Yesavage.

The 22-year-old, who just made his MLB debut on Sept. 15, didn’t have nerves on the playoff stage with 11 strikeouts over 5.1 no-hit innings against the Yankees in Game 2 of the ALDS on Sunday.

Since Yesavage is still on a closely-monitored pitch count having already thrown a career-high 112 innings in the regular season between the majors and minors, he was pulled from the game with one out in the fifth inning to a raucous ovation from the Rogers Centre crowd.

e Jays were leading 12-0 when Yesavage left the game. No one was happier to see him get pulled than the Yankees, who immediately responded by getting their first hit of the game with two outs in the sixth on Aaron Judge’s single.

Cody Bellinger got the Yankees on the board with a two-run homer off Justin Bruihl. It at least ensured the Bronx Bombers wouldn’t be shut out in a playoff game for the first time since Game 3 of the 2022 ALCS against the Houston Astros.

Pitchers making their first career postseason start have generally done very well this October. The Yankees advanced to the ALDS on the strength of Cam Schlittler’s eight shutout innings with 12 strikeouts and no walks against the Boston Red Sox in Game 3 of the wild-card series.

Shohei Ohtani is obviously an established superstar, but he had never pitched in the playoffs until Game 1 against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday. The three-time MVP got hit early, though he rebounded after a shaky start to toss six innings and strike out nine while allowing just three earned runs in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 5-3 win.

Yesavage’s performance might be the most unexpectedly great outing for a first-time playoff starter. He was just drafted 15 months ago with the No. 20 pick in 2024 and started this season in A ball, playing at four different levels before getting called up to the big leagues.

The Blue Jays got their first playoff win since 2016 in Game 1 against the Yankees. If Yesavage keeps pitching like this going forward, they might represent the AL in the World Series for the first time since 1993.

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