All-Star Relievers Will Decide Yankees Game Two Fate

Bullpen Performance in Game One

Though Tim Hill and Camilo Doval combined to throw 3 1/3 scoreless innings after starter Luis Gil was pulled in the bottom of the third, the Yankees' bullpen as a whole fell well short in Game One.

Toronto was up just 2-1 when Luke Weaver entered Game One in the bottom of the seventh. That score wouldn't last for long, however, as he was ultimately credited with allowing three earned runs while not recording a single out.

Fernando Cruz relieved Weaver and allowed an earned run of his own to score, making it 6-1 at the end of the frame. Paul Blackburn was then called upon for mop-up duty in the bottom of the eighth, and he was tagged for four runs as the Blue Jays glided to a 10-1 victory at Rogers Centre.

David Bednar and Devin Williams Must Save The Day in Game Two

With the bullpen taxed after throwing over 100 pitches New York will have to rely heavily on the likes of Devin Williams and David Bednar to shut down Toronto's offense once Max Fried is done in Game Two.

Bednar held the Boston Red Sox scoreless in the final two games of the Wild Card Series, while Williams didn't allow a run in either of his two appearances.

For as uneven as Williams' first, and perhaps only, season with the Yankees has been, he hasn't given up an earned run in any of his last 11 appearances. He's a two-time All-Star for a reason, and with some questions about New York's late-game formula, his reliability has rightfully made him a preferred option for manager Aaron Boone.

Bednar, who is pitching in the playoffs for the first time in his career following a deadline trade from the Pittsburgh Pirates, has lived up to the hype for the Yankees. He logged a 2.19 ERA with 12.8 strikeouts per nine innings and a 2.45 FIP for the club over 22 appearances in the regular season, and the pressure of playing in October hasn't seemed to faze him thus far.

In what should be considered a must-win scenario with a bullpen that's shorthanded, Williams and Bednar are primed to play a crucial role for the Yankees late in Game Two as they look to silence a potent Blue Jays lineup.

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