Ryu sharp into 7th, Semien homers as Blue Jays top Yanks 7-3

DUNEDIN, Fla. — Hyun Jin Ryu cruised into the seventh inning, Marcus Semien and Rowdy Tellez homered, and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the New York Yankees 7-3 on Tuesday night.

Ryu (1-1) allowed only an unearned run over 6 2/3 innings, striking out seven and limiting the Yankees to four hits and a walk. The Blue Jays ace retired 12 in a row after DJ LeMahieu had a leadoff infield single in the first.

“Vintage Ryu,” Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo said. “When he takes the mound, we know we have a good chance to win.

Ryu threw 68 of 95 pitches for strikes.

“The way it plays during the game, I see which of my pitches work for me,” Ryu said through a translator. “Today my fastball, the velocity was there for me, so I used it more.”

Yankees centre fielder Aaron Hicks was back in the lineup and went 3 for 4 after getting permission from manager Aaron Boone to sit out Monday’s game following the police shooting of a Black man, Daunte Wright, in Minnesota.

“I just felt like it wasn’t right for me to play that game,” Hicks said. “It was tough to read that somebody just got murdered. He’s a father to his son, and he’s also a son to his mother. It’s extremely tough when the situations like that happen.”

Hicks wrestled with the decision while driving to the game and said he got incredible support from his teammates.

Boone texted with Hicks in the morning and the pair met at the ballpark.

“He’s in a good head space,” Boone said before the game. “There’s no question he was down yesterday when we first talked in my office. Just struggling.”

Giancarlo Stanton, mired in an 0-for-16 skid, got the Yankees within 6-3 on a two-run single off Jordan Romero in the eighth. With Hicks batting against closer Julian Merryweather with two on and two outs, Gary Sánchez got caught between first and second after a pitch in the dirt and was tagged out in a rundown.

Merryweather didn’t return for the ninth due to left hip irritation.

Bo Bichette put Toronto ahead 7-3 with an eighth-inning sacrifice fly

Josh Palacios had a two-run single in the second and Randal Grichuk hit a third-inning sacrifice fly off Jameson Taillon (0-1).

Semien connected for a solo homer before Vladimir Guerrero Jr. made it 5-0 and ended Taillon’s night on an RBI double in the fourth.

Taillon allowed five runs and eight hits over 3 2/3 innings in his second start after missing the 2020 season recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Tellez had a fifth-inning solo shot off Lucas Luetge.

Romero replaced David Phelps, who earlier in the eighth departed after get hit in the lower back by Clint Frazier’s 107 mph line drive single.

Montoyo said Phelps has a contusion.

COVID-19 ISSUE

Montoyo announced that OF Teoscar Hernández tested positive for the coronavirus on Tuesday. He has been away from the team since last Thursday after having close contact with someone away from the team that tested positive.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Yankees: SS Gleyber Torres was out of the lineup with a sore right ring finger stemming from a head first dive into first base on a pickoff play Monday night. X-rays and a CT scan were clean. Gio Urshela filled in for Torres. … 1B Luke Voit (partial left knee meniscus tear surgery) could start hitting off a tee next week.

Blue Jays: OF George Springer (quadriceps) took batting practice. He won’t accompany the team for the start of a nine-game road trip that begins Friday in Kansas City. … RHP Nate Pearson (groin) will throw live BP on Wednesday.

UP NEXT

Yankees RHP Corey Kluber (0-1) and Toronto RHP Ross Stripling (0-1) are the scheduled starters in Wednesday’s series finale.

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Mark Didtler, The Associated Press