Yankees start series with Blue Jays

When and where to see

Tonight: Coverage on YES and the YES app begins at 6:30 p.m. with the pregame show

Tomorrow: Coverage on YES and the YES app begins at 6:00 p.m. with today’s Yankees Batting Practice

Saturday: Coverage on YES and the YES app begins at 2:00 p.m. with today’s Yankees batting practice

Sunday: Coverage on YES and the YES app begins at 12:30 p.m. with today’s Yankees batting practice

Pinstripe Pulse

Despite some recent struggles, the Yankees, at 52-30, still have the second-best record in the American League behind the Guardians’ 51-27, and the Yanks have a one-game lead over Baltimore atop the AL East. Anthony Volpe has at least one hit in eight of his last nine games. Juan Soto has a .350 batting average with six walks in 27 plate appearances against the Blue Jays this season. JD Davis started once at first base and the other time at the DH position in both Subway Series games the Yankees played this week after being signed from Oakland. Tommy Kahnle has seven consecutive scoreless appearances out of the bullpen.

How about that

More than halfway through the Yankees’ season, Aaron Judge is on the same home run pace after 82 games as he was in 2022, when he finished with his AL-record 62. Judge has hit 30 home runs this year, making him just the third player in MLB history to have three seasons with at least 30 home runs before the All-Star break, joining Mark McGwire and Ken Griffey Jr. Judge’s numbers in other major categories are also better than they were two seasons ago, such as his current .309 batting average, 77 RBI and 1.145 OPS. Could another AL MVP award be in his future?

Know the enemy

At 36-43, the Blue Jays are last in the AL East and 6.5 games away from the minimum score for a wild card berth. Before its scheduled game in Boston was canceled last night because of rain, Toronto had lost seven of its last eight games. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. leads the team with a .288 batting average and has really turned it on in recent days — from June 21-25, he hit .409 with three home runs in a span of 23 batting appearances. Former Yankee Isiah Kiner-Falefa has the next-highest average on the team at .281. Bo Bichette, a two-time AL hits leader and a career .299 hitter entering this season, is batting just .233 and returned from the injured list Tuesday after recovering from a strained right calf. George Springer has an average of just .195. The team’s recent moves include the firing of Dan Vogelbach and the trading of Cavan Biggio to the Dodgers.

Possible starters

Carlos Rodón will take the ball for the Yankees tonight when he starts alongside José Berríos. Former Blue Jay Marcus Stroman will face his original team for the third time this season when he starts tomorrow’s game against Yusei Kikuchi. Nestor Cortes and Chris Bassitt are lined up for Saturday. Gerrit Cole will make his third start this season when he plays the final out on Sunday; Toronto will counter with Kevin Gausman.

Major League Cricket with MI New York

YES and Willow by Cricbuzz, which offers more live, streaming and on-demand cricket than any other sports service, have partnered to broadcast seven matches featuring reigning Major League Cricket champions MI New York in the upcoming MLC season. These matches will be available on both YES and the YES app, as well as Willow by Cricbuzz’s TV network and streaming platform, starting with the season opener next Friday, which will see MI New York take on 2023 runners-up Seattle Orcas. Led by elite West Indian batsman Kieron Pollard, MI New York is gearing up to defend its maiden title.

To learn more about the team and the basics of cricket, watch this primer where Jimmy “Jomboy” O’Brien explains things with Bob Lorenz: https://tinyurl.com/c5funh4w

The story of my number

A show featuring some of your favorite Yankees stars just wrapped up its first season and is streaming on the YES app! In “The Story of My Number,” presented by Gracie Cashman, pinstriped icons talk about their lives on and off the field through the prism of numbers. Episodes are available with Aaron Boone, Tino Martinez, Andy Pettitte, Don Mattingly, Nick Swisher and CC Sabathia. Additionally, more shows were recently added to the YES app, including two editions of Home Plate New York – one with “Jet” Rivers and “Hot Shot” Swanson of the Harlem Globetrotters, and another with Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito and his agent Sean Stellato.