The Yankees defeated the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night in Tampa behind a big performance from Giancarlo Stanton, who launched two home runs and drove in three runs as New York continued its spring slate with an 8-1 victory.
The game turned quickly in the third inning when the Yankees’ offense came to life. Trent Grisham opened the scoring with an RBI double to right field that brought home minor-league catcher Ali Sánchez. Moments later, fourth-outfielder candidate Randal Grichuk followed with a sharp
double of his own, plating Grisham to extend the lead.
That set the stage for Stanton, who delivered the biggest swing of the inning. The Yankees’ designated hitter launched a two-run homer to left-center field, pushing the lead to four runs and continuing a strong spring at the plate for Big G.
Toronto managed its only run of the night in the fourth inning when Jesús Sánchez lined an RBI double to right field to score Nathan Lukes, trimming the Yankees’ lead slightly. However, Cam Schlittler and New York’s pitching staff quickly regained control of the game, keeping the Blue Jays quiet the rest of the way.
Stanton added another highlight in the sixth inning when he connected for his second home run of the night, a towering solo shot to center field that extended the Yankees’ advantage.
The Yankees continued to add insurance runs late in the game. In the seventh inning, Jonathan Ornelas launched a solo home run to right-center field, his first of the spring. Later in the frame, Zack Short delivered an RBI single that scored Ernesto Martinez Jr. to further widen the gap. New York added one final run in the eighth inning when Cole Gabrielson went deep with a solo homer to right field.
On the mound, Cam Schlittler delivered an impressive outing for the Yankees. The right-hander worked 3.2 innings, allowing two hits and one run while striking out six Blue Jays hitters. Schlittler showed good command throughout the outing and consistently missed bats, an encouraging sign as he continues his development. That all-important pitch count reached 46 tonight with 36 crossing the plate for strikes.
Relievers Kervin Castro and Carlos Lagrange followed with strong appearances of their own. Castro worked 1.1 scoreless innings, while the up-and-coming prospect Lagrange closed out the game tossing four shutout innings that resulted in a save the long way.
At the plate, the Yankees finished with 10 hits on the night. Stanton’s two home runs led the way, while Grisham, Grichuk, Ornelas, and Gabrielson each contributed key knocks as New York’s lineup continued to show depth during spring training.
Spring training games rarely tell the full story of a team’s season, but performances like Stanton’s and a strong showing from the pitching staff provide the Yankees with plenty of positives as they continue working toward Opening Day. They’ll be back at it tomorrow afternoon for a road game in Lakeland against the Tigers. Will Warren is set to face future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander with first pitch at 1:05pm ET.
