The Yankees’ formula for success likely looks a lot like how they put together their first win of the season: a decent outing from their starting pitcher, strong bullpen work and an offense that wears down opposing pitchers.
And, they hope, continued production from Gary Sanchez.
The catcher homered for a second straight game to start the year, putting the Yankees ahead in their 5-3 victory Saturday over Toronto in The Bronx, with Corey Kluber fighting his way through four-plus innings in his Yankees debut and a relief corps throwing another strong five innings.
Chad Green closed it out with a four-out save, getting out of a two-on, two-out jam in the eighth in relief of Darren O’Day.
“As I say with our team, with individuals, this is the time of year you want guys to get firsts out of the way, so you can settle in and get into the grind of the season,’’ Aaron Boone said.
Sanchez is perhaps at the top of that list after an ugly 2020 and a long offseason. He’s impressed at the plate and behind it.
“The first two days, he’s had a lot of quality at-bats,’’ Boone said. “When he does that, he’s as dangerous as they come.”
“I’ve felt very good,’’ Sanchez said through an interpreter of his start. “I think it’s about keeping that consistency going.”
After falling behind 0-2, Sanchez got the count back to 2-2 then sent a shot into the left field seats for a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning.
A one-out walk by Clint Frazier and a single from DJ LeMahieu got Jays starter Ross Stripling out of the game. Aaron Judge’s single loaded the bases for Aaron Hicks, whose infield hit drove in a run to make it 3-1.
After Kluber allowed a homer to Marcus Semien in the fifth to cut the Yankees’ lead to one, they added some insurance in the bottom of the sixth. Rafael Dolis walked the bases loaded with two out before being replaced by Tim Mayza, who came on to face Jay Bruce. Bruce flared a two-run single into shallow left to extend the lead to 5-2.
Kluber needed 74 pitches to get through his outing, walking three batters and hitting another, before Jonathan Loaisiga entered and retired all six batters he faced, striking out three.
That began a stellar outing from the pen, which was without Aroldis Chapman for a second straight game, as the closer served a suspension for throwing a pitch near the head of Tampa Bay’s Mike Brosseau last season.
Chapman will be back Sunday, but Boone didn’t have the lefty to go to on Saturday, so he turned to Lucas Luetge in the seventh.
The left-hander, appearing in his first major league game since 2015, allowed a bloop hit to Randal Grichuk and threw a pair of wild pitches that moved Grichuk to third. Grichuk scored on a groundout.
It was the only run the bullpen allowed, despite some trouble in the eighth, when O’Day entered and permitted a pair of bloop hits before getting Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to fly to left.
Green, who came on to strike out Rowdy Tellez and retired the side in order in the ninth, was one of several Yankees impressed by how Sanchez has looked in the first two games.
“I think he knows exactly what he’s trying to do,’’ Green said of Sanchez’s defensive game plan.
Kluber agreed.
“Whether Gary has been viewed positively or negatively [in the past], I have a specific relationship with him I’m trying to build,” Kluber said. “What other people may think of that doesn’t affect the way I view it and it’s all been positive for us so far.”
