TORONTO — Some saber rattling from the Yankees, a firm nudge by Commissioner Rob Manfred and ESPN’s wariness over a potential public-relations mess all conspired Tuesday to create an unsurprising reversal: the network giving up the Yankees’ game against the Toronto Blue Jays for a Sunday Night Baseball broadcast next month.
ESPN had selected the July 8 game in Toronto (originally scheduled for 1 p.m.) for an 8 p.m. start, and announced the decision on Friday — one day after the Yankees players had signed off on rescheduling a washed-out game in Baltimore as part of a doubleheader on July 9.