Toronto starter Alek Manoah angered New York Yankees’ ace Gerrit Cole by hitting star man Aaron Judge in the elbow with a sinker as tempers flared between the AL East rivals Sunday night.
Aaron Boone’s side got a win they so desperately needed as they beat the Blue Jays 4-2 Sunday night.
Manoah did his best to upset the AL East leaders when he plunked major league home run leader Judge in the left elbow in the fifth inning.
Toronto starter Alek Manoah angered New York Yankees’ ace Gerrit Cole (left) Sunday night
Manoah plunked major league home run leader Aaron Judge in the left elbow in the fifth inning
Judge glanced at Manoah as Cole started yelling and a few other Yankees came over the dugout railing.
Cole was intercepted by bench coach Carlos Mendoza before reaching the umpires. During the commotion, Judge and Manoah, who were teammates in the All-Star Game last month, appeared to diplomatically discuss the pitch.
‘It was just one too many (dustings) for my taste,’ Cole said.
Manoah said the plunking was unintentional and more a result of his struggles to command his sinker in recent starts.
‘I made a pitch, obviously it hit Judge,’ Manoah said.
‘Obviously I looked at him and I said, “man I’m not trying to do that.’ I think he understood that. I think if Gerrit wants to do something, he can walk past the Audi sign (in front of the Yankees dugout) next time.’
Manoah goaded Yankees ace Cole, telling him to ‘walk past the dugout next time’
Judge, who is 1 for 16 with six strikeouts against Manoah, also did not believe it was intentional.
‘It was the heat of the moment,’ Judge said. ‘Nobody likes to get hit.’
Boone added: ‘When your dude gets hit, usually it gets your attention.
‘So I don’t think it was intentional but it kept everyone’s focus and we moved on from it.’
Cole punched the dugout roof twice and Boone pounded his hand on the podium during a postgame news conference Saturday amid their miserable form.
Manoah said the plunking was unintentional and more a result of his struggles
But Andrew Benintendi hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the seventh inning to avoid a four-game sweep tonight.
On the day Yankees general manager Brian Cashman was booed while the team retired the No. 21 of former star Paul O’Neill, the AL East leaders won for just the 10th time in 30 games since the All-Star break. They top the division by eight games over Toronto.
‘No secret what we’re going through,’ manager Aaron Boone said. ‘That was a big blow in an important game.’
The Yankees came back quickly after Wandy Peralta walked ninth-place hitter Jackie Bradley Jr. to force in the tying run in the top of the seventh.
Jose Trevino beat third baseman Matt Chapman’s off-balance throw for an infield hit and was sacrificed to second. Benintendi hit a long foul ball, then sent a slider from Adam Cimber (9-5) into the second deck in right field.
Andrew Benintendi (No. 18) hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer to avoid a four-game sweep
Benintendi, who also doubled, hit his fourth homer of the season. It was his first home run since June 20, more than a month before Kansas City traded him to New York.
‘That was big time,’ Judge said.
Benintendi’s drive also occurred a day he struggled to field Alejandro Kirk’s two-run double to left field in Toronto’s four-run fifth on Saturday.
‘The start he hasn’t been great personally a lot worse than obviously I wanted to be,’ said Benintendi, who is batting .211 with New York after hitting .320 with Kansas City.
Anthony Rizzo scored on a throwing error by Toronto left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in the first. and DJ LeMahieu hit a go-ahead RBI single in the fourth.
Whit Merrifield hit a bizarre home run in the Toronto fourth on a ball that bounced twice on the fence before going over. The Blue Jays had won four in a row.
Lou Trivino (2-7) got the final seven outs. New York starter Nestor Cortes allowed one run and three hits in six innings. He struck out five.
Manoah allowed two runs, one of them earned, and four hits in six innings.
.