TORONTO — With Toronto Blue Jays at second and third, two outs in the eighth inning and the Yankees clinging to a one-run lead, Manager Aaron Boone and the pitching coach Larry Rothschild looked to the mound from their perch on the dugout railing and gestured to reliever David Robertson.
What did Robertson want to do — pitch to Josh Donaldson or walk him to bring up Justin Smoak?
Robertson nodded toward first base, and Boone agreed, so the manager held up four fingers to the home plate umpire, David Rackley.
After walking Donaldson, Robertson engaged in an intense, nine-pitch at-bat that ended when Smoak — in a mental chess game with Robertson — correctly predicted a fastball and belted a home run over the center field wall to hand the Yankees a 7-4 defeat on Sunday afternoon.