NEW YORK — Luis Severino threw five shutout innings and struck out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. three times to earn his first win as a starter since 2019 as the Yankees topped the Blue Jays, 3-0, on Thursday night at Yankee Stadium.
Guerrero hit three home runs against the Yankees on Wednesday. But Severino, in his second start of the season, became the first pitcher to strike out the Blue Jays slugger three times in one game.
Severino (83 pitches) allowed two hits, walked two and struck out six in an 83-pitch gem in a game that was delayed 90 minutes at the start by rain. Severino’s fastball averaged 97.4 miles per hour and got up to 99.5. It was his first win as a starter since Sept. 22, 2019, also against Toronto, as Severino has missed most of the last three seasons with various injuries. He picked up a win in relief at the end of last season.
The Yankees took a 3-0 lead into the ninth before Aroldis Chapman came on and walked the first three batters.
Manager Aaron Boone called in Michael King, who struck out George Springer and got Bo Bichette to hit a soft liner to second. DJ LeMahieu alertly threw to first to double off Matt Chapman for a game-ending double play for King’s first career save and spare him a matchup with Guerrero, who was on deck when the game ended.
Guerrero also struck out against Clay Holmes in the eighth.
Jose Trevino (2-for-3, two RBIs) drove in Isiah Kiner-Falefa (3-for-3) twice as the Yankees finally got some production from the bottom of their order to split the four-game series and end the season’s first homestand at 4-3.
Severino also got a little feisty with the Blue Jays bench in the first inning.
There were two outs and Bichette was on second when Severino hit Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in the hand with a 97-mph fastball. Gurriel went down and stayed down amid concern that the ball may have done some damage.
He eventually got up and took first base. But not before Blue Jays pitcher Alek Manoah started yelling at Severino from the dugout. Severino yelled back. Cameras also caught Gerrit Cole coming out from the Yankees dugout, but no one else moved.
The inning ended when Severino got Raimel Tapia to line to third.
Severino worked out of more trouble in the second after a leadoff single by Alejandro Kirk, a walk to Cavan Biggio and a one-out error by Anthony Rizzo loaded the bases.
As Lucas Luetge warmed, Severino got Springer to hit a medium fly ball to right, with the runners holding as Giancarlo Stanton fired a strike to the cutoff man. Bichette ended the inning by grounding out to third.
The Yankees didn’t get their first hit until Kiner-Falefa’s one-out single in the third off Toronto starter Kevin Gausman. Kiner-Falefa moved to second on a balk and scored the game’s first run when Trevino singled to left and the ball was booted by Gurriel for an error.
Falefa had to initially hold up on the liner, but was alertly waved home by third base coach Luis Rojas as soon as the ball eluded the befuddled Gurriel, who turned hither and yon in a fruitless attempt to find the ball as it headed towards center.
Severino really locked in once he got the slim lead. He struck out Guerrero and Gurriel to open the third (the latter looking at a 98-mph fastball) and got Tapia on a comebacker.
Kirk walked to open the fourth, but Severino struck out the next two and retired Zimmer on a fly to left.
The fifth was more dominance against the top of the order: a Springer pop-up, a Bichette comebacker and the third consecutive strikeout of Guerrero. Severino exclaimed and pumped his fist after the son of the Hall of Famer swung through a 90-mph changeup.
Kiner-Falefa and Trevino teamed up again to make it 2-0 in the bottom of the fifth. Kiner-Falefa smacked a two-out double and scored when Trevino dunked a single into center.
Kiner-Falefa was 1-for-17 coming into the game. Trevino made his second start of the season in place of No. 1 catcher Kyle Higashioka, who started the season 1-for-18 after hitting seven home runs in spring training.
Stanton drove in an insurance run in the eighth on a slow roller that scored Aaron Judge, who had led off the inning with a double.
