Yankees Blast Five Home Runs to Beat Blue Jays, Extend Wild Card Lead
When Vladimir Guerrero Jr. smacked an RBI double off the very top of the center-field wall in the bottom of the fifth, giving the Blue Jays a 2-1 lead, Toronto began to taste victory at the Rogers Centre.
Even the presumptive American League Cy Young Award winner couldn't corral the Bronx Bombers, however, as they jumped back in front in emphatic fashion on Thursday night.
New York erupted for three home runs off Robbie Ray in the following frame, leading the Yankees to a crucial 6-2 victory across the border.
The Yankees had six hits in the win. Five of them left the yard.
Aaron Judge continued his torrid stretch with two home runs in the victory, including a go-ahead blast in the sixth. Factoring in his first-inning moonshot (nearly clipping the bottom of the scoreboard in center field), the slugger's pair of long balls traveled a total of 896 feet.
On the mound for the Yankees, right-hander Corey Kluber kept his team in the game. He wasn't his best, but was able to limit the damage against a high-octane lineup, allowing just two runs on seven hits over 4.2 frames.
From there, the Yankees' bullpen continued to dominate. Michael King, Luis Severino, Chad Green and Aroldis Chapman combined to twirl 4.1 scoreless frames out of the 'pen, sealing New York's eighth win in their last nine games.
Yankees fans broke a sweat in the fifth. Gio Urshela couldn't haul in a line drive off the bat of George Springer, putting the go-ahead run on base with one man out.
Manager Aaron Boone elected to stick with Kluber, even during the right-hander's third trip through the lineup. After Marcus Semien traded places with Springer on a fielder's choice, Guerrero Jr. delivered in a big spot.
The slugger ripped a missile off the tip of the wall. Rather than skipping over for a home run, however, the ball stayed in the park, allowing Semien to score, but keeping the lead at just one.
New York had their third crack at Ray in the top of the sixth and took full advantage of the opportunity. First baseman Anthony Rizzo tied the game with a towering solo shot. Then, Judge went back-to-back, clearing the wall with a line drive sizzling at 115.3 mph. Next, Giancarlo Stanton walked, setting up a two-run blast off the bat of second baseman Gleyber Torres.
That same rambunctious crowd that was roaring the previous frame in Toronto was completely silent, watching as another close ballgame slipped away.
Veteran Brett Gardner added another solo homer in the top of the ninth, the Yankees' fifth homer of the night. An infield single by Urshela later in the inning was New York's first base hit that stayed in the ballpark.
The Yankees are now two games ahead of the Red Sox in the AL Wild Card standings after the much-needed victory. With the Mariners off on Thursday night, Seattle jumped into a tie with Boston for the second spot.
Meanwhile, the Blue Jays are technically still alive in the playoff race, but it'll take some serious chaos during the final weekend of the season for them to sneak in. They're one game behind both Seattle and Boston.
New York closes out the season with a three-game set against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium, a club that has already clinched a division title and the best record in the American League. That series begins on Friday night with left-hander Nestor Cortes Jr. on the bump for those in pinstripes.
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