Reaction from Trey Yesavage's impressive MLB debut

Monday night at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa saw the long-anticipated debut of Trey Yesavage, and "exceeding expectations" doesn't begin to describe his performance against the Rays.

Yesavage went five innings on the mound, allowing three hits, an earned run, and walked three batters on 69 pitches. However, it was his nine strikeouts (five came consecutively) that were not only impressive but also set a Blue Jays record for most strikeouts by a pitcher in their debut.

Per Sportsnet Stats on X, Yesavage had a 52.8% whiff rate, which is the highest by any Blue Jays starting pitcher (debut or otherwise) and the highest for any pitcher making their MLB debut (on minimum 60 pitches).

Yesavage's debut had everybody fired up on social media

With his family in attendance, along with fans on social media sharing their excitement, it's easy to be hopeful for Yesavage's future.

One thing that doesn't become a trend is the lack of run support the Blue Jays lineup provided Yesavage. The Jays were held off the scoreboard until the eighth inning before eventually beating Tampa 2-1 in 11 innings. George Springer's RBI single paved the way for yet another come from behind win and gave Toronto their fifth straight win. Toronto hasn't won five in a row or more since their ten game winning streak that started June 29 and went through July 8.

It's very possible Yesavage gets another start. After the game John Schneider told reporters, "“It's one outing, but what he has shown is he can go through an order multiple times. The biggest driving force or factor in our decision was the amount of swing and miss he can generate. So it's really, really, beneficial for us going forward, however we see fit to use him. As of right now, I like what I saw starting.”

The win, coupled with a loss by the New York Yankees, brought Toronto's magic number to clinch the division down to just seven games, while their number to earn a post-season berth sits at just four. The Blue Jays continue their four-game series in Tampa tomorrow with Jose Berrios taking the mound.