TORONTO — Marcus Stroman’s outward frustration with Gleyber Torres on Friday night had the potential to linger.
Instead, by the next half inning, Stroman was the first one out of the dugout to greet Torres after his two-run home run helped propel the Yankees to a laugher of a 16-5 win over the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
With no outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a high chopper off Stroman to shortstop.
Having to wait for the hop, Anthony Volpe got the out at second base before Torres’ throw to first was not in time to nab Guerrero for the double play.
Stroman was upset on the mound as TV cameras showed him yelling into his glove.
He then walked Justin Turner on four pitches to spell the end of his night, and when he got to the dugout, he got some more yelling out as he paced around.
”It was frustrating,” said Stroman, who was ticked about the speed of the double play. “At the end of the day, I felt like I made a good pitch and that was a big spot. I wanted to have that turn there, we didn’t and some raw emotion comes out.”
Stroman said he spoke with Torres afterward to clear the air. He was also at the top step of the dugout in the top of the sixth after Torres homered.
”That type of situation when you try to help your team and pitch well, emotions come out,” Torres said. “I don’t have any issues with that. I know how hard the game is, so it’s part of the game.”
Manager Aaron Boone, who also spoke with Stroman after the game, did not have an issue with his emotions coming out either.
“[Torres] didn’t get a ton on the throw, but that’s just one of those things that happens,” Boone said. “That’s going to be a tough double play to turn. Just Stro being competitive in the moment. We’re playing for a lot. Sometimes that spills over a little bit.”
The fiery Stroman finished the night allowing three runs across 4 ⅓ innings, though he was taken off the hook by the top of the sixth inning by Torres and company.
”This game can definitely have a lot of raw emotion come out,” Stroman said. “I’m very passionate. I care a lot about winning for this team, for this city. Sometimes raw emotion comes out. So I checked in with everyone I needed to check in with after the game. It’s all directed towards winning and being great out there. Sometimes it’s frustrating.”
Clarke Schmidt’s shutdown is complete.
Nearly four weeks since he last pitched in a game and was diagnosed with a lat strain a few days later, Schmidt began playing catch on Monday and was expected to throw again on Friday.
The right-hander will likely need at least four weeks to build back up, giving him a chance to return at some point in August if all goes well.
Giancarlo Stanton (hamstring) has also started to do some physical activity, including getting on the treadmill on Thursday.
“Not a lot, but moving now,” Boone said.
Ben Rice got his first action behind the plate as a major leaguer, entering the game to catch the bottom of the ninth.
In what has been a brutal stretch for the Yankees, Phil Bickford unintentionally provided some levity on Thursday night.
In the fifth inning of the Yankees’ 9-2 loss, Boone had walked out to the mound, where Carlos Rodon eventually talked his way into staying in the game to finish out the frame.
But Bickford thought he was coming in, so he began to run in from the bullpen, only to make it about halfway through right field before turning and running back to the bullpen.
Boone did not see it until after the game, but was able to get a chuckle out of it.
“Obviously [Thursday] night wasn’t a great night for us, but I did get some enjoyment in seeing the video of him realizing that, kind of panicking and sprinting back to the bullpen,” Boone said with a grin. “That was kind of fun.”
Fortunately for Rodon, who went on to finish the inning, Bickford did not get far enough onto the field for the umpires to force the Yankees to make a pitching change.
“Hey, I like the fact that he wanted in there and let’s go,” Boone said. “In fairness, I told him to be ready for the next hitter.”
