TORONTO – An early deficit. A chip-away rally marked by the type of opportunistic inning that’s become a trademark. Pivotal relief work from unlikely sources. And finally, a rare occurrence, an unhappy ending for the Toronto Blue Jays.
Jeff Hoffman, pitching for the fourth time in five days, surrendered a go-ahead solo shot to Ben Rice in the ninth inning to cap a drama-filled 5-4 loss to the New York Yankees on Tuesday night, ending an 11-game home winning streak for the AL East leaders.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. opened the bottom of the ninth with a base hit, but Devin Williams rallied to strike out Bo Bichette, get Addison Barger on a 99.2 m.p.h. liner to left-centre and get Alejandro Kirk swinging for the final out, to the chagrin of a sellout crowd of 42,326.
The Blue Jays (59-42) now lead the Yankees (56-45) by three games atop the division heading into Wednesday’s series finale, when Chris Bassitt takes on ace lefty Max Fried.
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The division-leading Toronto Blue Jays host the New York Yankees for a pivotal three-game series in the AL East. Catch the series finale on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
Max Scherzer, pitching on extended rest coming out of the all-star break, went Trent Grisham single, Cody Bellinger double, Aaron Judge strikeout and Jazz Chisholm Jr. homer to open the game before settling in, putting his team in an early hole.
He held the line from there until the fifth, when Cody Bellinger added a solo shot in the fifth that made it 4-1, but limited the damage to that over five innings of work.
The Blue Jays had chances against Cam Schlittler but managed only RBI singles by Barger in the first and fifth innings that twice narrowed the Yankees’ lead to two runs.
Then in the sixth, they tied it in their typically scrappy style.
Myles Straw subbed in for Joey Loperfido as the Yankees handed the reins from Schlittler to lefty Tim Hill, hit a groundball to short, booted it up the line and reached when Ben Rice at first couldn’t scoop Anthony Volpe’s throw in the dirt. After Ernie Clement flew out, Davis Schneider hit for Will Wagner and ripped a double to left that plated Straw.
Hill induced a lineout to short by Nathan Lukes before giving way to Jonathan Loaisiga, who watched George Springer line a base hit to right and Schneider come around to tie the game ahead of the relay home from Aaron Judge.
But Loaisiga struck out Guerrero to escape that jam and then in the seventh, Luke Weaver stranded a Bichette leadoff double to keep the game 4-4.
Lefty Mason Fluharty, recalled Monday, delivered two shutout innings of work behind Scherzer before Justin Bruihl, signed to a minor-league contract March 16, kept the top of the Yankees lineup silent in the eighth.
He caught Trent Grisham looking, induced a weak roller to first from Cody Bellinger and after Judge was walked intentionally, caught Chisholm looking to end the frame.
But the Blue Jays couldn’t take advantage of that as Hoffman, who closed out wins against the San Francisco Giants on Friday and Saturday as well as Monday’s opener versus the Yankees, was ambushed on a first-pitcher heater to Rice.
