Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his 40th homer, Marcus Semien went deep twice and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the New York Yankees 8-0 on Monday for their fifth straight win.
Hyun Jin Ryu (13-8) pitched six effective innings as the Blue Jays won for the eighth time in nine games. Toronto also improved to 5-2 in the Bronx this year.
Guerrero hit his 40th homer on Jameson Taillon’s 13th pitch, a full-count curveball that landed a few rows into the seats in right. The slugger and his Hall of Fame father joined Cecil and Prince Fielder as the second father-son duo to hit 40 homers.
Guerrero finished with three hits, extending his hitting streak to a career-high 14 games.
Guerrero Sr. hit 449 homers in his 16-year career. His career high was 44 for the 2000 Montreal Expos when Toronto’s slugging first baseman was 1 year old.
“I have front-row seats to watch this whole season,” said Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo, a teammate of Guerrero Sr. in 1996 with Double-A Harrisburg. “What he’s done, that’s not easy to do. This guy he’s going to be one of the best players in baseball. Actually, he already is and it’s been fun to watch somebody that young be that good at the plate.”
The 22-year-old Guerrero also became the youngest player in Toronto history to hit 40 homers, well ahead of Jesse Barfield, Tony Batista and Shawn Green, who were all 26 years old when they hit 40 homers for the first time.
Guerrero also became the 10th player in MLB history with 40 homers in his age-22 season. The last was Atlanta’s Ronald Acuna Jr. in 2019.
“That’s amazing,” Semien said. “I knew when we took BP, it was a good day to hit to right field. He didn’t hit on the field but I mentioned that to him. He’s so good he did it in his first at-bat. It’s something special.”
Semien hit a solo drive in the first and his fifth career grand slam in the ninth. He has five homers in his last five games and a career-high 37 on the year.
‘I felt really good with all my pitches today’
Teoscar Hernandez also went deep in the ninth for the Blue Jays.
Ryu held the Yankees to three singles after losing his previous two starts. He struck out six, including Joey Gallo three times, and walked none.
Ryu was lifted after 80 pitches. He said he felt some tightness in his right forearm when he threw a slider. He did not seem to think it would prevent him from making his next start.
“I felt really good with all my pitches today and I feel like it’s one of those games that I felt my best,” Ryu said through a translator.
Ryu also got some help from a slimmed-down Guerrero at first base. Guerrero, who lost 42 pounds in the offseason, made two nice stretches to get a throw from shortstop Bo Bichette in the fifth and a toss from Semien on a double play in the sixth.
Coming off a pair of one-run losses to the lowly Orioles, the Yankees lost for the seventh time in nine games following their first 13-game winning streak since 1961. The Yankees began the day with a half-game lead over Boston for the AL’s first wild card.
“It’s a concern,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “These are big-time games right now. These are important games. I want us to play well. We need to dig ourselves out of this little funk we’ve been in for a week.”
New York struck out 10 times and had one at-bat with runners in scoring position. Its 2-3-4 hitters of Gallo, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton finished a combined 0 for 11 with seven strikeouts.
Taillon (8-6) allowed three runs and three hits in seven innings. He lost his second straight start following a 15-start unbeaten stretch.
Trevor Richards and Tim Mayza pitched a scoreless inning apiece. Adam Cimber finished the five-hitter for Toronto’s AL-best 14th shutout.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
