TORONTO — The good vibes the Yankees carried across the border are apparently worth nothing in Canadian currency.
Instead, they are right back where they found themselves a few days ago, facing a 1-0 series deficit — this time with a wallop.
The biggest Yankees bats came up small in key spots, Luis Gil got tagged in an abbreviated start and then Luke Weaver and the bullpen blew things open late, sinking the Yankees in a 10-1 loss to the Blue Jays in Game 1 of the ALDS on Saturday at a raucous Rogers Centre.
If the Yankees are going to come home with the series tied, they are going to need a better effort from Max Fried in Game 2 on Sunday and more life from their offense.
They are also going to have to prove they can win here, after falling to 1-7 at Rogers Centre this year.
Even after Gil lasted just 2 ²/₃ innings while giving up solo home runs to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Alejandro Kirk, the game began to fall apart for the Yankees in the sixth inning.
They had the bases loaded with no outs and the heart of their order due up in a 2-0 game, but only came away with one run, in part because Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton each struck out.
Weaver then put an end to any comeback hopes the Yankees might have had in the seventh inning, flopping again while issuing a walk and back-to-back singles that made it 3-1 and ended his outing before he could record an out.
The two inherited runners came in to score off Fernando Cruz on a double by Nathan Lukes before Guerrero hit a sacrifice fly that extended the Blue Jays lead to 6-1.
In two outings this postseason, Weaver has faced six batters and retired none of them, getting charged for five runs on four hits and two walks.
He had struggled for stretches during the regular season, looking like a shell of his 2024 self, but finished well, giving the Yankees hope they could count on him.
That has not been the case.
Kirk hit his second home run of the game in the eighth inning off Paul Blackburn, who went on to give up three more runs in mop-up duty as the game turned into a laugher.
Kevin Gausman cruised through five shutout innings on just 50 pitches, with the Yankees mustering just a pair of harmless singles.
He had retired 10 straight and had a 2-0 lead entering the sixth inning before Anthony Volpe led off with a double off the left field wall.
Austin Wells followed with a single and Trent Grisham worked a full-count walk, and suddenly the Yankees were in business with the bases loaded and no outs.
The stage was set for Judge, who had singled off Gausman in the first inning, to have a moment.
But after battling for a full count, Judge chased a low-and-away splitter for Strike 3.
Cody Bellinger came up next and drew a four-pitch walk, forcing in Volpe from third to get the Yankees on the board and within 2-1.
But Ben Rice followed with a pop-up — Gausman’s last batter — before righty reliever Louis Varland entered and got Stanton to whiff at a 101 mph fastball to leave the bases loaded.
In a matter of minutes, all of the Yankees’ newfound momentum was extinguished, sending the sellout crowd of 44,655 into a frenzy.
In each of the three wild-card games against the Red Sox, the Yankees starting pitcher lasted at least into the seventh inning.
But Gil recorded just eight outs on Saturday, getting rocked for plenty of loud contact beyond the homers to Guerrero and Kirk, before Aaron Boone gave him the early hook.
Gil generated just six swings-and-misses across 48 pitches.
Of the 10 balls put in play against him, six came off the bat at 95 mph or harder.
The bullpen delivered early to keep the Yankees in the game, with Tim Hill throwing 1 ¹/₃ scoreless innings and Camilo Doval adding two perfect frames to get the game to the seventh.
Guerrero, the $500 million Blue Jays star, finished 3-for-4 while adding a defensive gem, diving to his right to snag Ryan McMahon’s line drive and stepping on first for a double play that ended the second inning.
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