Yankees fan tries (and fails) to throw back Jays home run

Toss hits fellow spectator

By Benjamin Blum, CBC Sports Posted: Apr 07, 2015 12:03 PM ET Last Updated: Apr 07, 2015 12:03 PM ET

There's an old tradition at Wrigley Field in Chicago that says if the away team hits a home run, the fan in the outfield stands who catches it is obligated to throw that ball back onto the field.

No one will be in the Wrigley bleachers until May due to construction, but the "bleacher creatures" at Yankee Stadium decided to keep the tradition alive against the Toronto Blue Jays on Opening Day.

They had their chance after an Edwin Encarnacion home run. 

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If you're scoring at home, you can mark that one as a throwing error on the Yankees fan.

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Blue Jays clobber Orioles, Mark Buehrle earns 200th win

As the strikeouts mounted and his hitless streak endured, Jose Bautista was not concerned because the Toronto Blue Jays were winning anyway.

Manager John Gibbons wasn't worried, either, because he figured it was only a matter of time before the slugger got on track.

Bautista ended an early-season slump by going 3-for-3 and scoring four runs as Toronto ruined the Baltimore Orioles' home opener with a 12-5 victory Friday.

Josh Donaldson and Dioner Navarro each drove in three runs for the Blue Jays, who took control with a four-run first inning and led 10-1 in the fourth.

After going 0-for-12 with eight strikeouts during Toronto's opening three-game series in New York, Bautista got a hit in each of his first three at-bats and added a walk before leaving with leg cramps. He drove in two runs and tied his career high in runs scored as the Blue Jays improved to 3-1.

"Slow start individually doesn't matter when your team is winning games," Bautista said. "If we sustain that I'll be happy."

Toronto manager John Gibbons knew Bautista — a five-time All-Star — wouldn't be struggling for long.

"He's the last guy you got to worry about," Gibbons said. "Early in the year they were pitching him tough, but I thought he was too aggressive. Today I thought he did a better job of getting a pitch to hit."

Mark Buehrle (1-0) allowed one run and eight hits in six innings to earn his 200th career win.

"It's going to mean more when I get home, retired and sit on the couch and look back," Buehrle said. "It's a round number. Obviously been around a while, stayed healthy, made some starts."

Toronto finished with 16 hits, half of them doubles — including two by Dalton Pompey. After playing the spoiler's role at Yankee Stadium for New York's home opener Monday, the Blue Jays pulled off an encore at Camden Yards.

"We got one more," Gibbons said. "Maybe we can do it right at our place."

Adam Jones homered, had a career-high tying four hits and drove in two runs for the Orioles, now 41-21 in home openers since coming to Baltimore from St. Louis in 1954.

Bud Norris (0-1) allowed eight runs and seven hits in three-plus innings. He was 4-0 lifetime against Toronto and had won nine straight decisions against AL East foes.

"Frustrating. It's not what I envisioned," Norris said. "It's tough to do that here at home and in front of my team. I'll take that one on me, for sure."

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Blue Jays squander lead, fall to Yankees

Chase Headley hit a tiebreaking single that deflected off the wrist of reliever Brett Cecil, and the New York Yankees rallied for three runs in the eighth inning to beat the visiting Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 Wednesday night.

Michael Pineda pitched six solid innings for the Yankees on a frigid night, and Jacoby Ellsbury scored twice and reached base safely all four times up. New York took advantage of mistakes by Toronto's bullpen, fighting back from a two-run deficit for its first victory of the season after knuckleballer R.A. Dickey gave the Blue Jays 6 1/3 effective innings.

Andrew Miller worked a perfect ninth for the save in his Yankees debut, the second of his big league career, before New York's smallest crowd for a home game in 11 years.

Toronto pushed its lead to 3-1 in the eighth when Jose Bautista scored on a throwing error by catcher Brian McCann. But the bullpen couldn't hold it.

Pinch-hitter Chris Young opened the bottom half with a bloop double that eluded rookie second baseman Devon Travis. Ellsbury singled, and Aaron Loup (0-1) loaded the bases when he hit Brett Gardner with a pitch.

Cecil gets wild

Young scored on a wild pitch by Cecil, who forced in the tying run when he plunked McCann with a pitch. Headley hit a one-hopper that caromed off Cecil's right wrist and past shortstop to give the Yankees a 4-3 lead.

Dellin Betances (1-0) got the win.

Many players wore knit hats and hooded sweat shirts during batting practice, and the game began in a steady drizzle on a 44-degree night at a mostly empty Yankee Stadium. The announced crowd of 31,020 was New York's smallest at home since Sept. 23, 2004, at the old ballpark across 161st St.

The rain soon stopped, but the wind picked up and the raw chill never dissipated.

Pitching in short sleeves, Pineda held the Blue Jays to two runs and six hits in six innings. He struck out six and walked one.

The last time Pineda took the mound on a cold April night, he was caught using pine tar in Boston to get a better grip and suspended 10 games.

"I'm sure we'll have a lot of eyes on him tonight," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said with a chuckle. "I think he understands, yes. I hope."

Alex Rodriguez went 0 for 4 in his second game since returning from a yearlong drug suspension. With the Yankees already ahead, he struck out with the bases loaded in the eighth against 20-year-old Roberto Osuna, who was making his major league debut.

From the trainers' room

Blue Jays: OF Michael Saunders (left knee) is set to begin a rehab assignment Thursday night with Class A Dunedin. Toronto manager John Gibbons said Saunders is coming along quicker than he expected, but there's no target date for his return and it won't be this weekend in Baltimore.

Yankees: Girardi said the team met with RHP Masahiro Tanaka and discussed Tanaka's recent comments through a translator that indicated he expects his velocity to be down this season while pitching with a small tear in his elbow. "I think what he was meaning to say is, I'm not a flamethrower. That's not how I pitch," Girardi said. "My conversations with him, it's a strategic thing. He knows that his four-seamer got hit some last year." ... Girardi said SS Didi Gregorius told him he was fine after getting hit in the arm by a pitch late in Monday's opener. Gregorius went 0 for 2.

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Blue Jays' youngsters take series from Yankees

Alex Rodriguez proved he's still a power threat at age 39. Daniel Norris demonstrated he's more than just a curious character living out of an old van.

Rodriguez hit his first home run since serving a yearlong drug suspension, but the Toronto Blue Jays beat the New York Yankees 6-3 Thursday night in the first major league win for the eccentric Norris.

"The main focus is baseball. Winning ballgames, like tonight," Norris said. "So if I can keep going out there performing like I did tonight, hopefully I'll put that stuff behind me."

Edwin Encarnacion homered and the Blue Jays got RBI singles from Jose Reyes and Kevin Pillar in a four-run second inning against CC Sabathia. Toronto took two of three in the season-opening series, boosting its record at Yankee Stadium to 7-30 since May 24, 2011.

On another raw and rainy night in the Bronx, Rodriguez led off the sixth by launching a high fastball deep into the left-field seats for his 655th career homer.

Rodriguez, moved up to second in the lineup against a lefty, tossed his bat aside and rounded the bases without any fanfare, though the drive invigorated a sparse crowd announced at 32,152.

A-Rod needed Google map

"I felt like I needed a Google map to run the bases, it's been so long," Rodriguez said. "Anything I can do this year is going to be a surprise, even for me."

It was A-Rod's first home run since Sept. 20, 2013. The three-time MVP ranks fifth on the career list, five behind Willie Mays.

Mark Teixeira homered off Norris (1-0) two batters later, cutting it to 5-3, but Encarnacion hit a long drive against Esmil Rogers in the eighth that banged high off the wall behind the bullpen in left-centre, some 430 feet or so from home plate.

Miguel Castro pitched a perfect ninth for his first career save.

Norris wore a knit hat as he walked through the clubhouse hours before the game, but pitched in short sleeves on a 42-degree night.

Norris gets the game ball

"It feels weird for me to pitch in sleeves. I've just got to keep everything the same," said Norris, who had his parents in the stands and was given the game ball as a keepsake.

The 21-year-old rookie received plenty of attention in spring training for his unusual, rustic lifestyle — he was living out of his 1978 Volkswagen van in a Wal-Mart parking lot and cooking on a portable stove. Hardly what you would expect from a second-round draft pick who got a multimillion dollar signing bonus.

But the Blue Jays are hoping for big things on the mound from Norris, who went 12-2 and led the minors in strikeouts per nine innings last year. The left-hander from Tennessee, an avid surfer with curly hair and a dark beard, used his polished off-speed pitches and allowed six hits in 5 2-3 innings.

"I thought he was really in control. He looked confident and relaxed out there," Toronto manager John Gibbons said. "He picked up where he left off in spring training."

Sabathia (0-1) was much more impressive than his pitching line would indicate. Coming off right knee surgery in July and making his first start since last May, the big lefty threw his fastball 88-90 mph but had good downward tilt on his slider. He struck out eight and walked none in 5 2-3 innings.

He ran into some tough luck in the second, when the Blue Jays grounded four singles through the infield and scored four times. Sabathia had a chance to start a double play in the middle of it all, but Danny Valencia's comebacker deflected off his glove for an infield single that loaded the bases with none out.

"He didn't give up any hard hits," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "They just found some holes."

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Yankees fan tries (and fails) to throw back Jays home run

Toss hits fellow spectator

By Benjamin Blum, CBC Sports Posted: Apr 07, 2015 12:03 PM ET Last Updated: Apr 07, 2015 12:03 PM ET

There's an old tradition at Wrigley Field in Chicago that says if the away team hits a home run, the fan in the outfield stands who catches it is obligated to throw that ball back onto the field.

No one will be in the Wrigley bleachers until May due to construction, but the "bleacher creatures" at Yankee Stadium decided to keep the tradition alive against the Toronto Blue Jays on Opening Day.

They had their chance after an Edwin Encarnacion home run. 

---

If you're scoring at home, you can mark that one as a throwing error on the Yankees fan.

Comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines. Comments are welcome while open. We reserve the right to close comments at any time.

Submission Policy

Note: The CBC does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comments, you acknowledge that CBC has the right to reproduce, broadcast and publicize those comments or any part thereof in any manner whatsoever. Please note that comments are moderated and published according to our submission guidelines.

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Blue Jays squander lead, fall to Yankees

Chase Headley hit a tiebreaking single that deflected off the wrist of reliever Brett Cecil, and the New York Yankees rallied for three runs in the eighth inning to beat the visiting Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 Wednesday night.

Michael Pineda pitched six solid innings for the Yankees on a frigid night, and Jacoby Ellsbury scored twice and reached base safely all four times up. New York took advantage of mistakes by Toronto's bullpen, fighting back from a two-run deficit for its first victory of the season after knuckleballer R.A. Dickey gave the Blue Jays 6 1/3 effective innings.

Andrew Miller worked a perfect ninth for the save in his Yankees debut, the second of his big league career, before New York's smallest crowd for a home game in 11 years.

Toronto pushed its lead to 3-1 in the eighth when Jose Bautista scored on a throwing error by catcher Brian McCann. But the bullpen couldn't hold it.

Pinch-hitter Chris Young opened the bottom half with a bloop double that eluded rookie second baseman Devon Travis. Ellsbury singled, and Aaron Loup (0-1) loaded the bases when he hit Brett Gardner with a pitch.

Cecil gets wild

Young scored on a wild pitch by Cecil, who forced in the tying run when he plunked McCann with a pitch. Headley hit a one-hopper that caromed off Cecil's right wrist and past shortstop to give the Yankees a 4-3 lead.

Dellin Betances (1-0) got the win.

Many players wore knit hats and hooded sweat shirts during batting practice, and the game began in a steady drizzle on a 44-degree night at a mostly empty Yankee Stadium. The announced crowd of 31,020 was New York's smallest at home since Sept. 23, 2004, at the old ballpark across 161st St.

The rain soon stopped, but the wind picked up and the raw chill never dissipated.

Pitching in short sleeves, Pineda held the Blue Jays to two runs and six hits in six innings. He struck out six and walked one.

The last time Pineda took the mound on a cold April night, he was caught using pine tar in Boston to get a better grip and suspended 10 games.

"I'm sure we'll have a lot of eyes on him tonight," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said with a chuckle. "I think he understands, yes. I hope."

Alex Rodriguez went 0 for 4 in his second game since returning from a yearlong drug suspension. With the Yankees already ahead, he struck out with the bases loaded in the eighth against 20-year-old Roberto Osuna, who was making his major league debut.

From the trainers' room

Blue Jays: OF Michael Saunders (left knee) is set to begin a rehab assignment Thursday night with Class A Dunedin. Toronto manager John Gibbons said Saunders is coming along quicker than he expected, but there's no target date for his return and it won't be this weekend in Baltimore.

Yankees: Girardi said the team met with RHP Masahiro Tanaka and discussed Tanaka's recent comments through a translator that indicated he expects his velocity to be down this season while pitching with a small tear in his elbow. "I think what he was meaning to say is, I'm not a flamethrower. That's not how I pitch," Girardi said. "My conversations with him, it's a strategic thing. He knows that his four-seamer got hit some last year." ... Girardi said SS Didi Gregorius told him he was fine after getting hit in the arm by a pitch late in Monday's opener. Gregorius went 0 for 2.

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Marlins' Latos lasts less than an inning in Miami debut

Hooked

Seven-year veteran allows seven runs in two-thirds of an inning

The Associated Press Posted: Apr 07, 2015 9:46 PM ET Last Updated: Apr 07, 2015 10:08 PM ET

Miami Marlins right-hander Mat Latos lasted only two-thirds of an inning in the shortest outing of his big league career Tuesday, giving up seven runs to the Atlanta Braves.

Latos, acquired in the off-season, was booed as he left the game, his first for his hometown team. He departed with an ERA of 94.50.

The Braves' big inning included RBI doubles by Freddie Freeman, Christian Bethancourt and Chris Johnson, and a two-run single by Andrelton Simmons.

Atlanta batted .857 with six hits against Latos. The 27-year-old threw a hefty 38 pitches in the outing.

Braves leadoff man Eric Young Jr. started the inning with a walk, followed by a steal. He would later score a run on Nick Markaskis' single. Young Jr. then picked up an RBI on his second at-bat of the inning, driving in Simmons with a single.

That would spell the end of the road for Latos.

Marlins fans and fantasy baseball owners who have Latos on their teams were not pleased with the showing.

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Submission Policy

Note: The CBC does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comments, you acknowledge that CBC has the right to reproduce, broadcast and publicize those comments or any part thereof in any manner whatsoever. Please note that comments are moderated and published according to our submission guidelines.

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Blue Jays look for 2nd win over Yankees

Alex Rodriguez turned in some solid at-bats in his return to baseball after a year-long drug suspension.

He'll have to adjust his swing considerably Wednesday night against knuckleballer R.A. Dickey.

Dickey, who started the past two openers for Toronto, is entering the final season of a three-year deal with the Blue Jays after consecutive 14-13 campaigns. The 40-year-old threw a team-high 215 2/3 innings last year and posted a 3.71 ERA.

Rodriguez, who was largely cheered in his return from suspension on Monday, is 8 for 22 with a homer and two doubles in his career against Dickey, who started on opening day each of the previous two years.

Dickey owns a 4.74 ERA in April for his worst mark in any month. The right-hander is 4-3 with a 3.00 ERA in 10 starts versus the Yankees, including 3-0 with a 1.04 ERA in the last four.

The Blue Jays, though, are 0-3 when he starts at Yankee Stadium.

New York gives the baseball to Michael Pineda, who went 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA with one walk over 19 innings in five spring starts. He went 5-5 with a 1.89 ERA last year in 13 outings, missing nearly four months with a shoulder injury.

Pineda has faced Toronto more than any opponent, going 1-2 with a 4.11 ERA in five outings. Sluggers Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion are a combined 5 for 27 against the right-hander, who limited opponents to a .200 average in 2014. Bautista is the only one current Toronto player to have homered off Pineda but is coming off an 0-for-5, three-strikeout opener.

Encarnacion and rookie Devon Travis homered to begin this three-game set. Toronto scored five runs in the third inning, with former Yankees catcher Russell Martin singling in two.

"Martin got it started," manager John Gibbons said. "A lot of good things happened."

The Blue Jays prevailed even though its batters finished with double the amount of strikeouts to hits (12-6).

Encarnacion is hitting .344 with four homers against the Yankees since the start of last year.

Rodriguez's single was one of three hits for New York. Brett Gardner homered and Brian McCann singled.

Didi Gregorius went 0 for 2 before he was hit by a pitch on the elbow in his last at-bat. The shortstop, who was caught stealing with the Yankees down by five runs in the eighth inning, said he will be fine.

"Hopefully he's OK, hopefully the day off helps," manager Joe Girardi said. "He said he was OK, I think you have to wait to see how he feels on Wednesday."

The Yankees are looking to avoid starting 0-2 for the fourth straight year.

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Blue Jays drub Yankees to open MLB season

New, young and older Toronto Blue Jays contributed in a 6-1 season-opening win over the Yankees in New York on Monday afternoon. Drew Hutchison pitched a sterling six innings while Edwin Encarnacion and rookie Devon Travis hit home runs.

Hutchison, the youngest Toronto pitcher to start on opening day, limited the Yankees to three hits, including a Brett Gardner solo home run before 48,469 at Yankee Stadium.

"I was extremely excited," Hutchison said. "It was a big day, overall."

The right-hander was in command for much of the afternoon after posting a 1.50 earned-run average in five spring training games (four starts).

Hutchison, who threw 56 of his 92 pitches for strikes, was 2-4 with a 5.17 ERA in six starts against the Yankees last season.

A-Rod draws cheers in Bronx

Alex Rodriguez received a loud ovation and a rare shout-out from the Bleacher Creatures at Yankee Stadium Monday afternoon before walking and singling in the first plate appearances of his return to the major leagues after a season-long drug suspension.

Rodriguez was New York's designated hitter and batted seventh against Toronto, his first time that low in the order at the start of a regular-season game since May 7, 1996. He went 1-for-2 with a walk in the Yankees' 6-1 loss.

New York trailed 5-0 when he came to the plate leading off the third inning. Rodriguez worked the count full against Drew Hutchison, who was 3 when A-Rod made his big league debut in 1994. On the eighth pitch of the plate appearance, Rodriguez took a 91-mile-per-hour fastball and became New York's first baserunner.

He singled to right-centre on another full-count fastball leading off the fifth and flied out in the seventh against reliever Aaron Loup.

— The Associated Press

Last July, Hutchison helped the Blue Jays snap another skid against New York: a 17-game losing streak in the Bronx.

New York starter Masahiro Tanaka lasted only four innings, allowing five hits and five runs (four earned) while striking out six. It was the shortest opening day start by a Yankees pitcher since Phil Niekro in 1985, when he went four innings against the Red Sox, according to STATS.

He was 3-0 with a 1.97 ERA versus the Blue Jays in 2014 but has seen his fastball velocity drop this spring. Tanaka decided to pitch through a partially torn elbow ligament last season, sitting out for nearly three months, rather than have Tommy John surgery.

After Tanaka made Toronto look silly with a heavy mix of sliders and splitter for the first two innings on Monday, striking out three, the Blue Jays solved him.

"We got to him a couple of times because he made mistakes," Dalton Pompey said.

Russell Martin, a former Yankees catcher who signed a five-year, $82-million US free-agent contract with Toronto in the off-season, singled home two runs while Kevin Pillar added two hits.

"Martin got it started," manager John Gibbons said. "A lot of good things happened."

Aaron Loup and Miguel Castro, one of six rookies on the Jays' roster, combined for three shutout innings of relief.

Toronto is 1-0 at Yankee Stadium after a 3-7 performance there last season and 0-10 showing in 2013.

Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez started at designated hitter Monday, his first regular-season game following a one-season drug suspension, and went 1-for-2 with a single and walk. Rodriguez batted seventh, his first time that low in the order at the start of a regular-season game since May 7, 1996.

The remainder of the three-game series will be played in the evening, with Toronto knuckleballer R.A. Dickey matched up against fellow right-hander Michael Pineda on Wednesday and lefties Daniel Norris and CC Sabathia hooking up Thursday. Both games are slated for 7:05 p.m. ET.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Blue Jays: Outfielder Michael Saunders (left knee meniscus) is running on a treadmill and taking swings in Florida. Manager John Gibbons said it would be a couple of more weeks before he joined the Blue Jays.

Yankees: Manager Joe Girardi said he will have to be careful to pick A-Rod's days off to keep him fresh and healthy throughout the season.

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MLB Opening Day: A-Rod cheered, Big Papi stays in box

Alex Rodriguez got cheered at Yankee Stadium, a rain delay got booed in Miami, and David Ortiz got a quick introduction to baseball's new speed-up rules.

It was Opening Day all across the majors Monday.

Pitchers in command

New Washington ace Max Scherzer took a no-hit bid into the sixth inning before falling behind. Seattle star Felix Hernandez, Detroit lefty David Price and Boston righty Clay Buchholz dominated.

A day after the Cardinals blanked the Cubs at Wrigley Field in the big league opener, the other 28 teams were in action. To fans, players and everyone else at the ballpark and watching on TV, it was easy to be optimistic.

"This day brings a lot of hope for a lot of different reasons for people," New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi said before predecessor Joe Torre threw out the first ball in the Bronx.

"The hope of, your team is going to be in the World Series at the end. If you live in the Northeast and the Midwest, the hope that we're actually going to have warm days again and everything is going to be green," he said.

Sunshine, except in Miami

After a wicked winter in many places, it was sunny at most ballparks.

An exception was Miami, where the game against Atlanta had a 16-minute rain delay. That was a first for 3-year-old Marlins Park, where there's a retractable roof.

With no rain in the forecast, the top was open when showers came in the second inning. It takes about 15 minutes to close the roof, and the infield got soaked.

Some fans booed and the Marlins tweeted on their Marlins Park site: "Sorry for the delay, folks."

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Return of A-Rod

Teammates applaud as Yankees DH Alex Rodriguez takes the field before their opener against Toronto. (Kathy Willens/The Associated Press)

In New York, where the Empire State Building was lit up in a rotating display of all 30 clubs' colours, A-Rod returned.

With Derek Jeter retired, the crowd at Yankee Stadium saved its biggest cheers for Rodriguez. Back from a season-long drug suspension, the three-time AL MVP singled, walked and lined out in a 6-1 loss to Toronto.

"I have to admit, it definitely felt good, that's for sure," Rodriguez said.

Big Papi in the box

Boston won 8-0 at Philadelphia, though Ortiz didn't do any damage in going 0 for 4 with three strikeouts.

But the Red Sox didn't need him, hitting home run after home run, including a grand slam by Hanley Ramirez.

At least Big Papi stayed in the batter's box, part of Major League Baseball's pace of play guidelines. Ortiz sure sped up things in the first inning — he fanned on three pitches.

Plate umpire Gerry Davis said there were no rubs with the new rules.

"We didn't have any problems at all. The hitters were excellent. I didn't notice anybody having any problems," Davis said.

Clocks kept pace

New clocks at every ballpark counted down the time between innings, trying to hurry along pitchers with their warmups.

Three times, Buchholz grounded out to end an inning. That meant he had to get back to the dugout on the third base side, get his glove, head to the mound and loosen up.

Buchholz was a little long, but he tried.

"It's difficult to get out in that time. He worked hard at doing it. It's the only thing we had the whole game," Davis said. "I actually noticed that he was hustling and thanked him for doing it."

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