After Judge and Stanton come up empty in key spot, bullpen unravels for Yankees in Game 1 of ALDS

TORONTO (AP) — Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton had their chance.

When both big sluggers came up empty, the New York Yankees' leaky bullpen failed to get them another one.

New York trailed by two runs and had the bases loaded with nobody out as Judge stepped to the plate against Toronto Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman in the sixth inning of their AL Division Series opener Saturday.

But what looked like a prime opportunity soon fizzled, and the Yankees' shaky relief corps couldn’t keep the game close after that as New York lost 10-1.

Gausman struck out Judge on a 3-2 splitter for the first out of the sixth.

“That’s a huge, huge strikeout obviously to (a guy) who is going to be the MVP of the league, probably,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said.

​​Cody Bellinger followed with a walk, forcing in New York’s lone run, but Gausman finished his outing by getting Ben Rice to pop out.

Louis Varland came on and struck out Stanton on four pitches, ending the at-bat with a 101 mph fastball.

“Varland executed a good heater to G that he was late on,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Just weren’t able to punch through like we needed to in an inning where we had a chance to have a big one.”

Gausman was full of praise for Varland, who joined Toronto in a deadline deal from Minnesota.

“You’ve kind of seen him take his game to another level when he needs to,” Gausman said. “That was one of the greatest trades we’ve ever made.”

Judge went 2 for 4 with a single and a double Saturday, making him the only Yankees player to reach base more than once. He reached safely in five of 12 plate appearances in the Wild Card Series win over Boston, going 4 for 11 with an RBI.

Stanton went 0 for 4 on Saturday and has just one hit this postseason.

While Toronto’s bullpen sparkled in Game 1, with four pitchers combining on 3 1/3 scoreless innings, New York’s relievers didn’t fare so well. After starter Luis Gil exited with two outs in the third, five Yankees pitchers allowed eight runs and 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Luke Weaver didn’t retire any of the three batters he faced, leaving after Andrés Giménez’s RBI single through a drawn-in infield. Weaver has not retired any of the six batters he has faced this postseason.

The one bright spot for New York's bullpen Saturday was right-hander Camilo Doval. He provided two scoreless innings on just 20 pitches.

“That was really efficient, really good,” Boone said, adding he hopes to have Doval available in Game 2 of the best-of-five series on Sunday.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

New York Yankees outfielders, from left, Trent Grisham, Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger talk in the outfield as the Yankees make a pitching change during the third inning against the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 1 of baseball's American League Division Series, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Toronto. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)

New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) looks on during a break in play during the second inning in Game 1 of baseball's American League Division Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Toronto. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)

New York Yankees pitcher Luke Weaver, center, waits to be removed during the seventh inning against the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 1 of baseball's American League Division Series, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Toronto. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) walks back to the dugout at the end of the top of the first inning in Game 1 of baseball's American League Division Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Toronto. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — An unusually strong storm system called an atmospheric river was dousing Southern California on Saturday, prompting flood warnings in areas of coastal Los Angeles County that recently were ravaged by wildfire.

The National Weather Service in Los Angeles and Oxnard reported heavy rainfall Saturday at rates as heavy as an inch (2.5 centimeters) per hour in coastal areas that are prone to flash flooding.

On Friday, more than four inches of rain fell over coastal Santa Barbara County as the storm approached Los Angeles. The National Weather Service urged people to stay indoors amid heavy winds.

The long plume of tropical moisture that formed over the Pacific Ocean began drenching the San Francisco Bay Area on Wednesday and unleashed widespread rain over Southern California on Friday and Saturday. More than a foot of snow was predicted for parts of the Sierra Nevada.

Amid the stormy weather Friday, the California Highway Patrol said a 71-year-old man died Friday after his vehicle was swept off a flooded bridge in Northern California and a 5-year-old was swept into the ocean by 15-foot waves at a state park on the central coast, triggering a search that continued Saturday.

Off the Southern California coast, a wooden boat believed to have been ferrying migrants into the U.S. from Mexico capsized in stormy seas, leaving at least four people dead and four others hospitalized, the Coast Guard said Saturday.

Flood advisories Saturday extended from the Ventura County coast, through Malibu and into Los Angeles.

“Due to the potential for debris flows, an Evacuation Warning remains in effect within and around all recent burn scar areas, and select vulnerable properties remain under Evacuation Orders,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a Saturday-morning social media post on X.

Evacuation orders, which are mandatory, were issued for specific high-risk properties in the Palisades and Eaton fire burn areas from Friday evening to Sunday morning. Law enforcement personnel were going to select properties in those areas to urge people to leave, Bass indicated.

James Jones carries sandbags while trying to prevent water from running off a property scorched in the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., as the region remains under flash flood warnings on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

A woman walks past a mural in Altadena, Calif., as the region remains under flash flood warnings Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Ronald Jones surveys a property scorched in the Eaton Fire while placing sandbags to prevent mud and water runoff Altadena, Calif., as the region remains under flash flood warnings on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

James Jones places a sandbag to prevent water from running off a property scorched in the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., as the region remains under flash flood warnings on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

A pedestrian with an umbrella walks on a bridge over the rain-soaked 110 Freeway in Los Angeles Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)