A pitch away, Garcia gives one up
Freddy Garcia was one pitch away from a quality start when David Cooper unloaded on a well-hit two-run homer, landing in the right-field party deck at George M. Steinbrenner Field and bouncing out of the ballpark.
Garcia knows he needs to pitch well this spring to secure one of the Yankees’ open rotation slots, and this effort is a bag of mixed results. He bent backwards near the mound after the Cooper homer in frustration.
He started strong, facing the minimum through three innings, but allowed three Blue Jays runs in the fourth inning and finished permitting five runs in six innings. He walked none and struck out six.
Mariano Rivera threw a scoreless seventh inning for his third spring appearance, setting the Blue Jays down in order – strikeout looking, strikeout looking, groundout to first base. He’s ready for Opening Day.
Bryan Hoch
