The New York Yankees saw their once-commanding lead atop the AL East disappear completely Wednesday night, dropping their third straight to the Toronto Blue Jays in an 11-9 heartbreaker at Rogers Centre.
The game looked lost early after Will Warren surrendered seven first-inning runs. By the second, New York trailed 8-0, and their recent struggles seemed destined to continue.
But the offense came alive in the fifth, with DJ LeMahieu and Ben Rice sparking a rally before Giancarlo Stanton launched his first home run of the season to cut the deficit to 8-6. Cody Bellinger’s RBI fielder’s choice in the sixth and Aaron Judge’s towering 440-foot blast in the eighth tied the score at nine, capping a remarkable comeback effort.
With the game knotted and the top of Toronto’s lineup due up, Aaron Boone turned to Devin Williams. After a walk and a stolen base put two runners in scoring position, Williams’ changeup skipped past Rice behind the plate, letting George Springer race home with the go-ahead run. Addison Barger followed with an RBI single for insurance.
Trent Grisham singled with two outs in the ninth, and Rice represented the tying run but popped out to end the game.
For the first time since April 13, the Yankees no longer sit alone atop the AL East, now tied with Toronto at 48-38.
New York will try to salvage the series finale on Thursday night with Clarke Schmidt taking the mound against Chris Bassitt. The first pitch is set for 7:07 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].