The Cam Schlittler-Trey Yesavage Show lived up to the billing, with both young right-handers dominant through six innings.
But once the Yankees got Yesavage out of the game after six shutout innings, their lineup still couldn’t get going in a 2-1 loss to Toronto in The Bronx.
While Schlittler and Yesavage went toe to toe, Schlittler faltered in the seventh and the Yankees — who were unable to even get a hit against Yesavage the last time they saw him in October — were again overmatched by the 22-year-old.
A pair of runs allowed by Schlittler in the seventh was enough.
Schlittler gave up a soft leadoff infield single to Ernie Clement to open the inning and walked Jesús Sánchez before Brandon Valenzuela reached on a bunt to load the bases with no one out.
Ex-Met Andrés Giménez then walked after an 11-pitch plate appearance to force in the game’s first run and end Schlittler’s night.
Jake Bird got George Springer to hit a chopper to third, where Ryan McMahon made a great stop and strong throw home for the second out, but a sacrifice fly from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. scored Valenzuela to make it 2-0.
The Yankees forced Yesavage to throw 95 pitches in his six scoreless innings but were unable to get much against Toronto’s bullpen.
In the bottom of the ninth, Cody Bellinger doubled off Louis Varland before Jazz Chisholm Jr. reached when Varland dropped a comebacker.
With runners on the corners, Paul Goldschmidt hit another one back to Varland to score Bellinger and make it a one-run game and move Chisholm to second.
Amed Rosario whiffed to end it.
The start of the game was delayed more than two hours by rain before both pitchers came out firing.
Schlittler entered the game with an MLB-best 1.35 ERA, while Yesavage had allowed just three earned runs in 19 ¹/₃ innings over his first four starts this season after dealing with a shoulder impingement that pushed back the start to his year.
Yesavage pitched 5 ¹/₃ hitless innings in Game 2 of the ALDS last October in an 11-strikeout performance. He allowed just a walk in the win.
He wasn’t quite as fearsome Wednesday.
And nearly as soon as Yesavage left the game, the Yankees had a chance to score.
Facing left-hander Mason Fluharty, Chisholm and Goldschmidt reached on bloop singles with one out in the seventh.
When the Yankees sent up Rosario to hit for Spencer Jones — who’d replaced the injured Trent Grisham in the fifth — the Blue Jays went to Jeff Hoffman.
Hoffman got Rosario to fly out to right and McMahon to ground out in front of the plate to end the threat.
Schlittler was helped in the second by a great running catch by Bellinger in deep left to rob Yohendrick Piñango of an extra-base hit.
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And even when the two starters allowed base runners, they were mostly unlucky.
The first two hits of the game were an infield single by George Springer off Schlittler to lead off the first and a popup down the left field line that fell in for a double for Grisham against Yesavage with two outs in the second.
Toronto had the game’s first real threat when they had runners on the corners with two outs with singles by Sánchez and Giménez.
Schlittler got to a full count against Springer — with Guerrero on deck — before Springer flied out to left to keep the game scoreless.
