Jameson Taillon’s first taste of pitching out of the bullpen included a heavy dose of bad luck.
Two bloops and an error after he came on in relief for the first time in his major league career, Taillon was on the hook for the loss.
Taillon was summoned for the 10th inning and left the game without recording an out, giving up two runs on three hits in the Yankees’ 4-2 loss to the Guardians in Game 2 of the ALDS on Friday afternoon in The Bronx.
“It is what it is,” Taillon said. “I don’t think it had anything to do with coming out of the bullpen. I was ready to go. Felt good, thought we made some OK pitches. I wouldn’t blame anything on coming out of the bullpen.”
After warming up in the ninth inning of Game 1, only to have Clay Holmes close out that Yankees win without much trouble, Taillon made his playoff debut to begin the 10th inning in a 2-2 game against the heart of the Guardians’ order.
Jose Ramirez led off by hitting a weak pop-up to shallow left field that ultimately fell between left fielder Oswaldo Cabrera and third baseman Josh Donaldson. With the shift on, they both had a long way to run for it. Donaldson picked up the ball and threw wildly to second for an error, allowing Ramirez to keep running and take third.
Jameson Taillon reacts during the 10th inning. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
“It was 50/50 on whether it had a chance off the bat,” Taillon said. “It’s difficult especially in the playoffs when results are all that matters.”
Oscar Gonzalez came up next and hit another well-placed bloop (58.9 mph off the bat, the fifth-weakest batted ball in the game) to shallow right field to score Ramirez for a 3-2 Guardians lead.
Then came the hardest-hit ball of the game. Taillon left a 3-2 fastball over the heart of the plate and Josh Naylor drilled it to center field for an RBI double.
“That’s the game of baseball there and Naylor had the blow,” Taillon said.
Manager Aaron Boone then pulled Taillon for Clarke Schmidt, who finished off the inning by getting three groundouts to strand Naylor at second.
Taillon threw 18 pitches and said he could “definitely” be available out of the bullpen on Saturday for Game 3. But it‘s possible the Yankees will hold him back in case the series goes to a fifth game, which Taillon could potentially start. Because of the rainout Thursday, Nestor Cortes, who started Friday, is no longer in play to start Game 5 on short rest.
Jameson Taillon pitches on Friday during the Yankees’ Game 2 loss to the Guardians. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post“I haven’t gotten told I’m in line for that,” Taillon said.
— Additional reporting by Dan Martin
