Yesavage throws 5 1/3 shutout IP to win season debut vs. Red Sox

TORONTO (AP) — Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Trey Yesavage worked 5 1/3 shutout innings against Boston in his season debut Tuesday night and left to a standing ovation.

“I thought he pitched really well,” Toronto manager John Schneider said. “I thought he got better as he went on. It was just nice to see him out there competing. It was great. Good first outing for him.”

Yesavage (1-0) struck out three, walked none and allowed four hits, including three singles, as Toronto blanked Boston 3-0, with five pitchers combining on a four-hitter.

“Very happy with the performance," Yesavage said. "A lot of zeroes up on the board and gave us a chance to win.”

The 22-year-old Yesavage began the season on the injured list while recovering from a shoulder impingement. He went 0-1 with a 7.50 ERA in four minor league rehab appearances, three starts, with the last two in Triple-A.

Willson Contreras hit a one-out double in the first before Yesavage got Roman Anthony to ground out and retired Wilyer Abreu on a fly ball.

“That’s him,” Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. said of Yesavage. "He came back the way he finished the season last year."

Yesavage finished his outing by striking out Contreras on a slider to begin the sixth. He threw 74 pitches, 50 for strikes

"That was about as far as we wanted him to go," Schneider said, adding that Yesavage will likely be able throw 10 or 15 more pitches in his next outing.

A few in the sellout crowd of 41,949 booed when Schneider came out to the mound, but they roared as Yesavage walked off. He was replaced by left-hander Mason Fluharty.

Yesavage called the ovation “awesome.”

“These fans are great and I’m very blessed to play in front of them,” he said.

Yesavage rose through four minor league levels last season, striking out 160 batters in 98 innings combined at Dunedin, Vancouver, New Hampshire and Buffalo.

He made his big league debut at Tampa on Sept. 15, striking out nine in five innings, and went 1-0 with a 3.21 ERA in three regular-season starts before playing a major role in Toronto’s run to Game 7 of the World Series.

In Game 2 of the AL Division Series against the Yankees, Yesavage set a Blue Jays postseason record by striking out 11 over 5 1/3 hitless innings to win his postseason debut. He went 3-1 with a 3.58 ERA in six playoff appearances, five starts, striking out 39 in 27 2/3 innings.

Yesavage delivers his pitches from a unique arm angle that gives him one of the highest release points of any big league pitcher, 7.09 feet above the field.

__

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb