Trey Yesavage shuts down Yankees in ALDS Game 2 as Blue Jays rookie sets franchise strikeout record

Toronto Blue Jays rookie right-hander Trey Yesavage left his postseason debut with a no-hitter and a record Sunday. Yesavage struck out 11 in 5 ⅓ no-hit innings on Sunday against the New York Yankees in Game 2 of the American League Division Series (GameTracker). That strikeout total easily set a new Blue Jays record in a playoff game.

Indeed, Yesavage tied the old mark (eight) to begin his fourth inning of work. He then struck out the next batter, taking the record for himself, and the batter after that, to create further separation. Previously, the Blue Jays franchise had witnessed four eight-strikeout contests. The most recent of which occurred 10 years ago, when David Price struck out eight batters apiece in a pair of American League Championship Series starts against the Kansas City Royals:

“This has got to be cloud nine. I couldn’t imagine a better feeling right now,” Yesavage said after the game. “… I was sitting in there thinking about the comment I made the other day, where I said I’m built for this. And I was like, well, I’d better back that up. I wanted to go out there and do the best I possibly could. Thankfully it stayed true to that.”

Yesavage, 22, made just three major-league appearances during the regular season. He compiled a 3.21 ERA (136 ERA+) and a 2.29 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 14 innings. It’s notable that none of those starts came against the Yankees, or, for that matter, any other team he could face this postseason.

For those wondering, Yesavage’s Game 2 gem also represented the first time in franchise history a pitcher 23 years or younger struck out more than five batters in a playoff contest.

“That was nasty stuff,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after the game. “That split is unlike much you ever run into. He got it going, starting it up a lot, breaking it down off the plate, using his fastball enough and slider enough. But we just didn’t have an answer for the split. He was on his game.”

Yesavage entered the spring ranked by CBS Sports as the No. 1 prospect in the Blue Jays system. Here’s what we wrote at the time: 

The Blue Jays plucked Yesavage with the 20th pick in last summer’s draft after an impressive career at East Carolina University that saw him return to action shortly after suffering a partially collapsed lung. His game is built on verticality: beginning with his steep release point and extending to an arsenal that includes, among other pitches, a rising fastball, a hammer curve, and a split-change. Yesavage hasn’t yet made his professional debut, but he ought to move quickly once he does.

The Blue Jays held on for a 13-7 win to take a 2-0 advantage in the best-of-five series.