Blue Jays 10, Yankees 4
NEW YORK (AP) - Jose Cruz Jr. homered on the second pitch of Brett Jodie's major league career and added another homer off the rookie in the second inning as the Toronto Blue Jays routed the New York Yankees 10-4 Friday night.
Jodie, a 24-year-old right-hander brought up from the minors to fill a shortage in the Yankees' staff, also gave up a third-inning homer to Raul Mondesi and lasted just 13 batters, giving up six runs and seven hits in two-plus innings.
He kept kicking dirt in disgust as his debut disintegrated, and received a mixture of boos and cheers when he walked to the dugout after manager Joe Torre removed him.
New York, which began the night one game ahead of second-place Boston in the AL East, has lost six of 10 since the All-Star break - all by six runs or more - and been outscored 75-40.
The three-time defending World Series champions had finished the first half with 10 wins in 11 games, appearing ready to spurt into a comfortable lead.
Jodie, a combined 11-4 with a 2.48 ERA at Double-A and Triple-A, hadn't even been seen by Torre before Friday.
The fifth rookie to start for the Yankees this season, he got his chance because Adrian Hernandez's illness in Detroit on Wednesday rippled through the staff. Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte were forced to pitch on three days' rest and New York wanted Randy Keisler and Mike Mussina to start on normal rest this weekend.
Cruz took Jodie's first pitch, then deposited the second in the right-field lower deck. Of the four times Cruz has led off a game with a homer, three have been against the Yankees.
Jeff Frye singled home a run in the second and Cruz hit another one into the right-field seats, this time a two-run drive that made it 4-0. Six of his 13 homers this season have come against the Yankees.
Scott Brosius hit an RBI double and scored on Alfonso Soriano's single in the second off Esteban Loaiza (6-0), but Mondesi's homer and Carlos Delgado's single finished Jodie.
Ted Lilly, who made 84 pitches in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader at Detroit, relieved and gave up an RBI double to Luis Lopez that scored Delgado, then went on to pitch three scoreless innings, throwing 43 pitches.
Toronto took a 9-3 lead with three runs in the sixth off Jay Witasick, two of them unearned because of the pitcher's throwing error.
Loaiza allowed three runs in five innings. Jorge Posada, 1-for-21 (.048) against Loaiza, homered in the sixth off Bob File.
Notes: Toronto OF Shannon Stewart and 2B Cesar Izturis didn't play because of flu. ... It was Cruz's sixth multihomer game, his first this season. ... An MRI of Mariano Rivera's right ankle showed irritation, but no injury. ... The Yankees are negotiating to sign LHP Scott Aldred and LHP Chris Peters to minor league contracts. ... Yankees pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre missed the game because of bronchitis. ... RHP Todd Williams was designated for assignment to make room for Jodie.
Originally published July 20, 2001.
