Labor Day marks the unofficial start to pennant-race season, and the surprisingly still-in-contention Yankees got the homestretch started off on the right foot. After dropping two out of three in Baltimore over the weekend, the team returned home and dispatched of the first-place Blue Jays 5-3 on Monday afternoon.
Jacoby Ellsbury was the story early on after he smacked a two-run home run off of Jays starter R.A. Dickey in the first inning, giving the Yankees a 2-1 lead. Two innings later, Ellsbury would capitalize on a Tyler Austin double by lining a single into right field to extend that lead. Austin’s bat would surface again in the fourth with a double off the wall in left-center. Both Starlin Castro and Austin Romine would come around to score on the hit, giving the Yankees a commanding 5-1 lead.
On the mound, Yankee starter Masahiro Tanaka did not have his sharpest stuff, but was able to navigate the vaunted Toronto lineup for six and 1/3 innings of one-run ball nonetheless. The New York ace scattered seven hits and three walks on the day, but aside from a Jose Bautista RBI single in the first inning, the Jays could not seem to break through until Tanaka came out of the game.
Upon his exit, the Yankee bullpen found their way into some trouble. With a man on and one out in the seventh, relievers Jonathan Holder and Ben Heller combined for a pair of walks and a bases-loaded single to Edwin Encarnacion that drove in two. With the score 5-3 and runners at the corners, manager Joe Girardi made a move for Tommy Layne, who was able to get pinch-hitter Russell Martin to hit a bloop over second base that Castro reeled in to escape further damage.
That would be all she wrote for Toronto, however, as Tyler Clippard and Dellin Betances recorded the final six outs without a hitch. The win moves the Yankees to 71-65 and helps them keep pace with the Orioles at 3.5 games back of the second American League wild card spot.
The Play: Ellsbury homers in the first (+.165 WPA)
Ellsbury was the majority of the Yankee offense on the afternoon, driving in each of the Yankees’ first three runs. The home run in the first inning was the big blow, erasing a 1-0 Toronto lead and putting the Yankees on top for good. It was his seventh home run of the season.
Top Performers
Yankees: Jacoby Ellsbury (3 for 4, 1 HR, 1 R, 3 RBI)
Blue Jays: Edwin Encarnacion (3 for 4, 2 RBI)
Notes
-Aaron Judge continued to struggle at the plate, going 0 for 3 with another three strikeouts. He did make a pair of nice plays in right field, with a diving catch in the first inning and catch at the top of the right field wall later in the game that robbed what would have been an extra-base hit, if not a home run.
-While Gary Sanchez’s bat may have cooled off since the calendar turned to September, he’s still making noise with his arm. Sanchez gunned down his eighth would-be base-stealer of the season in the fourth inning when he nabbed Melvin Upton Jr. at second base.
-During the game, the Yankees placed OF Aaron Hicks on the 15-day disabled list with a hamstring strain.
The Quote
“I think he’s handled it pretty well. He’s going through a tough time, and I think mechanically he’s a little bit off. We’re trying to get him back on track. We have to help him get through it, that’s all. We have to help him get through it.” -Joe Girardi on Aaron Judge’s struggles at the plate
The Highlight: Austin breaks it open in the fourth
Austin has struggled at the plate since his call up, but he had a nice day at the plate against the Toronto knuckleballer. Austin was one of only two Yankees to notch a multi-hit game. This was his second double of the game off Dickey, and the pair of runs it drove in would wind up looming large.
Up Next
The Yankees will send Luis Cessa to the mound on Tuesday for the second game of this three-game set against the Jays. Toronto will counter with Aaron Sanchez, who has been impressive in his first full season as a starter with a 2.88 ERA in 162 and 1/3 innings. As mentioned earlier, the Yankees remain 3.5 games behind Baltimore in the wild card race, and trail Toronto by 5.5 games for the division. Game time is 7:05 pm.
Lead photo: Wendell Cruz / USA Today Sports