Category: Sports News

The series finale between the Yankees and Blue Jays was one of the sloppiest of the season, as four New York errors led to an 8-4 loss on Wednesday and a series loss. Not to mention the Yankees have fallen even further behind Toronto in the AL East race because of it.

It was an odd game. The Yankees actually played great defense in the early innings, thanks to a running grab by Trent Grisham and a diving stop and throw from Jazz Chisholm Jr., but the book on the Yankees has been out since last year's World Series, and it hasn't changed much since. Put the ball in play, and teams can take advantage of Yankee errors, and that's exactly what the Blue Jays did.

And just like the ill-fated fifth inning in the 2024 World Series, the same happened on Wednesday.

Starter Max Fried walked Davis Schneider and George Springer with one out and the score tied 2-2 in the fifth. A wild pitch put runners at second and third for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to hit a chopper down the third base line. Fried, a Gold Glove pitcher, got a good jump off the mound and fielded the ball but spun around and made an inaccurate throw that got past catcher J.C. Escarra. Two runners would score on the Fried error.

"Went for it, thought I might have been closer to the plate," Fried said of the play. "I was getting close to the line and if I kept going, I’m going to throw at [the runner] and tried to throw it around him. Just not a good throw."

Fried was more frustrated with the walks in that inning and said that can't happen, especially with the game tied.

Luckily for the Yankees, Aaron Judge's two-run blast, which came after a Guerrero error, got the game even again in the sixth inning. But in the bottom of the inning, more errors and miscues occurred.

Ernie Clement hit a leadoff triple after Cody Bellinger lost the fly ball in the sky, setting up the go-ahead double from Myles Straw. Straw then scored with two outs when Will Wagner hit a grounder to first baseman Ben Rice, who booted what surely would have been the final out of the inning.

"Today was a little shaky," Bellinger said of the defense. "For me, the fly ball that I missed kinda started it all. We gotta play a little better. I got confidence in this group of guys. The team over there is a good team. They are playing good baseball. Ultimately, they are capitalizing on a lot of mistakes."

The Yankees would make two more errors that wouldn't come back to bite them, but it was an overall ugly game.

"Just not good enough [defensively]," manager Aaron Boone said after the game. "I feel we have a very good defensive club, but the seven games we played up here, whether it’s through error or not making a play we have to make, it’s cost us in these two series up here, where it’s really hurt. We have to tighten it up, confident we will. We have good defenders here, but tonight was obviously a rough night for us."

In seven games playing in Toronto, the Yankees are 1-6, but more alarming are the errors. The Yankees have committed 11 errors in seven games at Rogers Centre and the Blue Jays took full advantage.

When asked about why the defense has been so poor in Toronto, Boone didn't really have an answer. He briefly mentioned the turf but didn't want to use it as an excuse. He felt the team played well defensively in their series win in Atlanta this past weekend, so he chokes it up to "just two bad series." Judge also didn't have an answer about the Toronto factor when he was asked.

"It’s tough to say. We haven’t been playing that well on defense. We have a lot of things we have to clean up," he said. "We go into this off day, refocus and tighten up on defense. Pitchers are pitching well enough to keep us in games so the offense can do its thing. We give any good team extra outs; it’s not going to work out for us."

"Defense is about work, putting the work in. That’s what we’ll continue to do," Boone said of how the Yankees can improve the defense midseason. "We have good defenders. We have really good defenders. It’s just something that…defense is a game of under control and calm. The last thing I want to do is play tight and play to not make a mistake. Gotta keep working. Keep working on our fundamentals day in and day out and it’ll continue to get better. And a lot of the season, the defense has been very good. It’s these two series where it’s not been good. We lost games to them in big part because we’ve given them outs."

Judge was asked if he felt the team was playing "tight," and the captain disagreed with the notion, pointing to the team's experience, especially for those who were there for the World Series run.

"We’re battle-tested. We never feel like any guy in here is getting tight or nervous," he said. "You gotta play aggressive…make some plays. Hasn’t gone our way the last couple of nights, but that’s all stuff we have to clean up. It’s in our control. We’ll take care of it."

The Yankees won't have much time to "take care of it." After an off day on Thursday, they'll start a stretch of 13 games in 13 days beginning by hosting the Phillies this weekend.

And while there's still more than two months to go, with a trade deadline upcoming, the Yankees are confident they can get on a hot streak and set themselves up for a playoff berth and run.

"It’s coming. We haven’t had our hot streak yet," Judge said with a smile. "We’re going to and when it does, watch out."

Here's the latest Yankees news and buzz ahead of the July 31 MLB trade deadline...

July 31, 1:40 a.m.

The Yankees and Pirates are continuing to work on a trade that would bring closer David Bednar to the Bronx, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Per Rosenthal, an official from one team involved in the chase for Bednar believes the Yankees are the frontrunner.

After a down 2024, Bednar has returned to form as one of the best closers in the National League.

In 42 appearances, he's pitched to a 2.37 ERA while converting 17 saves.

Bednar would join Luke Weaver and Devin Williams in the bullpen as the Yankees look to shore up their pen for a postseason run.

This trade also wouldn't be a rental, since Bednar is arbitration-eligible for the 2026 season.

July 25, 11:32 a.m.

While Eugenio Suarez and Ryan McMahon have been names to keep an eye on for the Yankees ahead of the trade deadline, there's another infielder who could fill that role.

New York would have interest in St. Louis Cardinals infielder Brendan Donovan, if he's made available, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman.

Heyman notes that many teams, including the Houston Astros, would also be in on Donovan if the Cardinals decide to sell. St. Louis is currently 53-51, nine games back of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central and 2.5 games back of the San Diego Padres for the third Wild Card spot.

Donovan, 28, was named to his first All-Star team this season and is hitting .296 with nine home runs and 42 RBI over 96 games. He won a Gold Glove in 2022, the first year utility players had their own category, when he played all four infield positions, LF, RF, and DH.

This season, Donovan has logged 78 games at second base, six at SS, 18 in LF, and two as the DH. Overall, he's played 2B (203 games) and LF (163 games) the most in his career, followed by third base with 46 games.

July 23, 11:45 p.m.

As the Yankees continue to search for a potential new third baseman, the team's ranking of preferred candidates has reportedly been determined.

According to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, the Yankees are interested in Colorado Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon. However, the team sees McMahon as a backup plan to trying to trade for Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez.

Suarez is the hottest hitter this trade deadline and the Yankees are just one of many teams inquiring about him, so the price tag may be too high for New York.

YES Network's Jack Curry spoke about the Yankees' thoughts on the third base market and poured some cold water on the names the team has been attached to.

"The vibe I’m getting from the Yankees, they do not have a lot of exuberance for some of the names that have been attached to them: Suarez, [Pirates 3B Ke'Bryan] Hayes, McMahon," Curry said. "They are a very detail-oriented organization when they make these kinds of decisions."

Curry criticized Suarez's defense and his fit on the team while also pointing out the contracts and lack of offense from Hayes and McMahon as potential reasons the Yankees don't acquire them.

Hayes' contract still has five years of control at $30 million while McMahon is under contract through 2027 with $32 million remaining after this season.

July 19, 8:27 p.m.

The Yankees are in the market for a third baseman and have reportedly shown interest in the top target at this trade deadline.

According to the New York Post's Jon Heyman, the Yankees are among the teams that have inquired about Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez. Other teams include the Mariners and Cubs, among "many others."

The blister issue that forced Yankees ace Max Fried to miss a reunion start with the Braves last weekend seemed like old news. With an effective fastball-cutter combo, the veteran southpaw retired the first 10 batters faced against the division-rival Blue Jays on Wednesday night, resembling a Cy Young candidate in familiar rhythm.

But before exiting with one out in the fifth and a one-run deficit, cameras caught Fried repeatedly rubbing his fingers on his undershirt. There was also some blood on his pinkie. So, it was safe to assume that a flare-up of his recent blister -- plus a comedy of fielding errors -- contributed to New York's hideous 8-4 loss to Toronto at Rogers Centre.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who was ejected in the seventh inning for arguing the strike zone, denied any trouble with Fried's blister when asked after the game. Fried then said as much, contending that he cut his finger late and it was unrelated to the blister.

"Coming in, first start off the break for me, I just wanted to make sure I put us in a good position," Fried said after the loss. "Let the lead up early and frankly, just didn't do my job tonight. Walking guys definitely isn't going to help. And throwing the ball away and having two more come in -- especially battling and letting it go -- is frustrating. For me, that can't happen."

Whether or not Fried was truly hampered by a blister in his later innings, the results of his outing showed a pitcher working with a weaker arsenal. Of the 102 total pitches thrown, he used his fastballs at a season-high 79.4 percent clip. The average mark for his fastball-cutter-sinker mix was at 59.7 percent entering Wednesday.

Fried didn't rely much on his secondary off-speed pitches. Consequently, he threw his sweeper just four times. He didn't throw a curveball until his 45th pitch, and his first changeup arrived 18 pitches later. He didn't even bother trying his slider, as rare as it is.

The pitches that require an uncomfortable grip on the seams and can cause blisters were the ones Fried avoided against the Blue Jays. While he didn't make excuses for the poor performance, the assumption of a reaggravated blister remains.

Of course, Fried struggled to rediscover his early groove for other reasons. The Yankees committed a whopping four errors, and Fried was responsible for two of them.

After a wild pitch in the fifth that allowed a pair of runners to advance into scoring position, Fried was trapped on a weak comebacker along the third-base line that produced an awkward toss home. The play at the plate couldn't be made by catcher J.C. Escarra, who lost the ball behind him and watched both runners score.

"Went for it, thought I might've been a little closer to the plate," Fried said. "I was running across the line. If I keep going, I'm going to throw it at him, so I just tried to throw around him. A tough angle and just not a good throw... We've put together some really good games defensively this year, and haven't shown it so far. But we believe that."

The nightmare resumed in the sixth. With the score once again tied -- thanks to an Aaron Judge two-run home run -- Fried surrendered a leadoff triple to Ernie Clement after his fly ball to right was surprisingly lost in the sky by Cody Bellinger. Moments later, Myles Straw ripped a double down the left-field line, giving the Blue Jays a lead they didn't relinquish again.

At the moment, there's no reason to believe that Fried won't make his next start, which is scheduled for next Tuesday against the Rays at Yankee Stadium.

Fried now owns a 2.62 ERA across 127.1 innings (21 games) this season, and his 116 total strikeouts rank 13th among qualified AL starters.

The momentum built from a thrilling win on Tuesday didn't inspire clean play from the Yankees on Wednesday, as they committed a whopping four errors in a humiliating 8-4 loss to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.

Here are the takeaways...

-- Jasson Domínguez entered Wednesday in an 0-for-18 rut at the plate, but he didn't allow the skid to reach 19 at-bats. The rookie outfielder took advantage of his first matchup with Chris Bassitt in the second inning, ripping a solo home run into the right-center field bullpen to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. It was Domínguez's ninth blast of the season -- the ball traveled 380 feet with an exit velocity of 111 mph -- and the first one he hit since July 11.

-- Max Fried didn't seem bothered by a blister that forced him to miss a reunion start against the Braves last weekend. The Yankees' ace looked sharp early on, retiring the first 10 batters faced with effective use of his fastball-cutter combo. Fried also received defensive help, as Trent Grisham robbed Davis Schneider of a leadoff double in the first with a terrific running catch in left-center. Two innings later, Jazz Chisholm Jr. took an infield single away from Myles Straw with a slick backhanded grab up the middle and jump-throw to first.

-- The Blue Jays disrupted Fried's rhythm with one out in the fourth, however, as a single to center from George Springer and an RBI double to left from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. knotted the score at 1-1. Then, after Fried gave up a walk and an infield single that loaded the bases, Ernie Clement put the Blue Jays ahead, 2-1, with an RBI single to center. The 24-pitch inning could've been far worse for Fried -- he got the third out on a grounder that deflected off his leg and fortunately bounced to a charging Oswald Peraza at third.

-- Anthony Volpe nearly cost the Yankees a win on Tuesday with a costly throwing error, but he made up for that gaffe with his bat in the fifth inning. With one out, he took a cutter from Bassitt deep to left-center for a game-tying solo homer. But the game didn't remain tied for long. Fried stumbled again in the fifth, allowing a pair of walks and a stolen base that preceded defensive mishaps. He allowed both baserunners to advance into scoring position on a wild pitch, and then a tricky throw home on a tough comebacker got past catcher J.C. Escarra and placed the Blue Jays ahead, 4-2.

-- Sloppiness in the fifth was erased with one swing by the Yankees' captain in the sixth. After a fielding error on Guerrero that allowed the leadoff man Grisham to reach second, Aaron Judge drilled a two-run shot to right-center off Bassitt that wiped the two-run deficit. It was career homer No. 352 for Judge, who now owns sole possession of sixth place on the franchise's all-time list. He's also tied for 99th on MLB's all-time list.

-- Once again, shoddy defense from the Yankees helped the Blue Jays retake the lead swiftly. In the bottom of the sixth, Clement wound up with a leadoff triple after his fly to right was surprisingly lost in the sky by Cody Bellinger. Fried then gave up a go-ahead double to Straw, which ended his frustrating night. It's possible Fried's blister flared up late, as TV cameras caught him rubbing his fingers on his undershirt in the sixth.

-- The Yankees added insult to potential injury shortly after Fried's exit. With reliever Jonathan Loáisiga on the mound, Ben Rice botched a grounder at first that brought another Blue Jays runner home, making the score 6-4. In the seventh, frustrations with the strike zone resulted in ejections for manager Aaron Boone and pitching coach Matt Blake, and after a fielding error from Dominguez, Bo Bichette smacked a two-run shot to left off Scott Effross that put the Blue Jays ahead by four.

-- Bassitt returned for the eighth inning, and managed to record the first out before exiting at 94 pitches. The pitching change to reliever Justin Bruihl sparked a brief rally, as Grisham and Bellinger produced back-to-back singles, but Judge ended the threat by grounding into an inning-ending double play that required replay review. In the ninth, the Yankees went down in order against Yariel Rodriguez. They once again trail the Blue Jays by four games for first place in the AL East.

Game MVP: Chris Bassitt

While a handful of Blue Jays capitalized at the plate and took advantage of the Yankees' blunders, Bassitt provided ace-level length by striking out eight across 7.1 innings. It wasn't a clean effort -- he gave up four runs on three homers -- but still a strong showing from the veteran right-hander.

Highlights

Trent Grisham makes the running catch! pic.twitter.com/pgb3EEDV3d

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 23, 2025

Jasson Domínguez homers to open the scoring 👽 pic.twitter.com/A7KVApM7gc

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 23, 2025

Jazz Chisholm Jr. makes the smooth play ♨️ pic.twitter.com/iRS4JeNmc0

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 23, 2025

Anthony Volpe ties the game! 💣 pic.twitter.com/89N0bETZ6y

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 24, 2025

AARON JUDGE TIES THE GAME WITH A TWO-RUN HOMER! pic.twitter.com/5Yz38SkCm1

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 24, 2025

What's next

The Yankees (56-46) will have Thursday off and begin a seven-game homestand on Friday with a weekend series against the Phillies. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

RHP Will Warren (6-5, 4.91 ERA) is slated to take the mound, opposite RHP Taijuan Walker (3-3, 3.75 ERA).