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EspañolThe Yankees got plenty of offense from Austin Wells and the pitching staff did its thing, as New York beat the Blue Jays 5-1 on Saturday afternoon at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
It was the final day before participants of the 2026 World Baseball Classic left their teams, so many of the Yankees who will take part in the tournament were in the lineup and took the mound on Saturday.
Here are the takeaways...
- It was a pitching duel early on in this one. Paul Blackburn got the start for the Yankees and he was very good. The veteran right-hander pitched four scoreless innings, scattering four hits while striking out two batters.
Blackburn is fighting for a spot on the roster. He could earn a spot in the rotation while the Yankees await the returns of Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon, or he could be in the bullpen as the long man in the same fashion the team used him a year ago. It's still early to know where the Yanks are leaning, but Saturday's performance helped Blackburn's case.
- On the offensive side, the Yankees put out their A-lineup, but were no-hit through four innings by Blue Jays starter Jose Berrios. The right-hander allowed just two walks in his four innings of work while striking out two batters.
However, the scoreless tie was broken in the fifth. Wells (Team DR) led off with a walk before Jose Caballero (Team Panama) doubled down the line, scoring the catcher from first. Spencer Jones then grounded into a force out at second base, but a throwing error by the Blue Jays shortstop allowed Jones to reach safely and for Caballero -- who was on third thanks to a Ryan McMahon groundout -- to score.
Wells would add onto the Yankees' lead with a two-run shot in the sixth, his first of spring. The backstop finished the day going 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs. Kenedy Corona launched a solo shot in the seventh to give the Yanks a 5-0 lead, it's the second homer of the young outfielder's spring.
- The Yankees used their big guns out of the bullpen. David Bednar (Team USA) pitched a 1-2-3 inning, but Fernando Cruz (Team PR) didn't have as clean of an inning. The hard-throwing righty allowed three of the first four batters to reach, but got a double play to get out of the inning without giving up a run.
Tim Hill pitched a clean inning with a strikeout, while Jake Bird, who is fighting for a bullpen spot, struck out two in a clean inning of work.
- Aaron Judge (Team USA) went 0-for-3 while Paul Goldschmidt (Team USA) finished 1-for-2 with a walk and a run scored. Jazz Chisholm Jr. (Team Great Britain) also went 0-for-3.
Jones, after homering three times in four games this spring, did not go yard on Saturday. He finished 0-for-2 with an RBI.
- Amed Rosario was originally going to be in the lineup, but was scratched so he could head over to the Dominican Republic team.
Game MVP: Austin Wells
The Yankees backstop drove in two runs and his great running allowed New York to push across the first run of the game.
Highlights
José Caballero brings home Austin Wells with an RBI double 🔥 pic.twitter.com/wDxhmumWHJ
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) February 28, 2026
Austin Wells' first home run of the spring! pic.twitter.com/u2LF8OrdXm
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) February 28, 2026
Kenedy Corona homers! pic.twitter.com/WkbkdmnX3I
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) February 28, 2026
What's next
The Yankees continue their spring training slate against the Phillies on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m.