South Bronx, NY: The day’s weather was not exactly the typical warmth that one associates with baseball, but the 10,107 paying fans who attended the stadium did not seem to mind. Lucky fans that were able to purchase tickets and attend this second New York Yankees Vs. Toronto Blue Jays game of the 2021 baseball season were treated to a 5-3 win with a few highlights in between.
SMILE 😃 Yankee fans can be seen enjoying the game for the first time since COVID-19 prevented them from attending a game during the 2020 season (📸 Photo: Daniel Budasoff/ Latino Sports)
The fans were treated early to excitement in the fourth inning when Yankees catcher Gary Sánchez launched a 365-foot line drive over the left-field wall against Toronto starter Ross Stripling. His solo homer — the second in this his second game — also made history as he joined Elston Howard (1963) as the only other Yankee’s catcher to homer in the first two games of a season. “It’s a confidence boost,” Sánchez stated through an interpreter after the game. “I’ve always trusted myself. I just want to go out there and give the best I have. I give 100 percent and try to help my team any way possible. Like I’ve said before, I’m looking for consistency.”
Gary Sánchez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run on Saturday afternoon against the Toronto Blue Jays (📸 Photo: Daniel Budasoff/ Latino Sports)
If Gary’s homer made a bit of Yankee history Jay Bruce made his own history on his birthday with his first hit as a Yankee, a bloop single to left-center with the bases loaded that broke the game open scoring two runs for a 5-2 lead.
“I don’t take any of this for granted. This is another special one for me,” Bruce said. “I’ve been able to essentially spend every birthday since I was 21 or 22 years old on a Major League field. To be on a team of this caliber and the storied franchise that it is, I’m enjoying it. It was a great birthday.” He continued, “I’m here to help. I’m here to win a World Series … In my opinion, we definitely have the team to do that, and to contribute like that is great. I’m always looking forward to getting the first [hit] out of the way. Now we go.”
“Now we go” is the mantra for Yankees fans for this 2021 baseball season.
