Toronto Blue Jays' Max Scherzer tipping pitches versus the New York Yankees
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Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Max Scherzer was tipping pitches versus the New York Yankees on Sunday.
The Blue Jays' lead over the Yankees is down to two games after they dropped Sunday's finale in the Bronx, 4-3.
Regardless of the outcome of Sunday's series rubber match, the Jays were already assured of earning the season series having gone 6-2 at home versus their AL East foe.
Sunday's stakes were at their highest, the proverbial two-game swing riding in the balance with the Jays sitting atop the division at 82-60 followed by the 79-63 Yankees.
Technically, it's a three-game lead because of the tiebreaker.
The biggest and most blatant differences between the two clubs involves the Yankees' reliance on the longball and Toronto's clear defensive superiority.
Toronto has the deeper starting rotation, but New York's two primary arms, both lefties, are good.
There were no fatal flaws to Sunday's loss, just a day where the Blue Jays didn't get the big hit.
That belonged to Ben Rice of the Yankees, who battled back from an 0-2 count against Max Scherzer in the first inning to launch a three-run home run on the 10th pitch he saw.
It felt like Rice started to slowly circle Scherzer, ripping a couple of balls foul before delivering the final blow, and it felt that way because Scherzer was tipping his changeup.
Max Scherzer was tipping his changeup. It led to an amazing AB from Ben Rice.
A 3-run HR gives the Yankees a 3-0 lead
A 3-run HR gives the Yankees a 3-0 lead
Blue Jays manager John Schneider comments on Scherzer's pitch tipping vs the Yankees
The Athletic's Mitch Bannon asked Blue Jays manager John Schneider about Scherzer tipping his pitches:
Schneider on Max tipping:
«Ya they were relaying, they're good at it. Max has got to be a little bit better and it was obvious on the change ups. Rice just missed the one on the foul homer.
It's fair game, the whole MLB knows the Yankees are good when they got something.»
«Ya they were relaying, they're good at it. Max has got to be a little bit better and it was obvious on the change ups. Rice just missed the one on the foul homer.
It's fair game, the whole MLB knows the Yankees are good when they got something.»
Following Monday's off day, the Jays begin their penultimate homestand of the regular season when the Houston Astros come to town for a three-game series that begins Tuesday night (7:07 p.m. first pitch); when the Jays were in Houston way back in April, the Astros handed Toronto a three-game series sweep by outscoring the Jays 15-2.
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