It was the sixth inning and the New York Yankees had completed five innings of 6-0 ball before rain postponed the game temporarily. Their opponent was the Blue Jays, who were tied for first place in the American League East, and the Yankees had finished smacking one of their top starters, Marco Estrada.
Michael Pineda had pitched five innings of shutout ball, and rookie Gary Sanchez had contributed 5 of the Yankees’ runs with two homers. The dugout was all good energy, and Yankee fans were ecstatic and preparing to celebrate.
Even manager Joe Girardi showed some confidence in the Yankee lead, choosing to go with Anthony Swarzak, one of the team’s worst bullpen pitchers this season, to fill in for Pineda, who was stopped not by the Blue Jays but by rain.