They’d previously won just three of 12 games against Toronto this season.
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Brett Gardner celebrates his outstanding catch with Yankees teammate Jacoby Ellsbury.
But the biggest highlight of all came afterward, when a peek at the American League standings revealed that while the Yankees remained 3 1/2 games behind the Baltimore Orioles (who also won) for the second wild-card spot, they had quietly, nearly stealthily crept to within 4 1/2 games of the division-leading Blue Jays, whom they have now beaten two games in a row with a chance to sweep them in Wednesday’s finale.
Headed our way on Friday, the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays will be kicking off their Major League Baseball series from Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays have held at least a share of the lead every day since August 16, and this is the fifth time they have been tied. With this win, the Yankees now sit 2.5 games back of the second Wild Card spot.
Regardless of what happens, the fact that NY is playing meaningful (not to mention fun) games in September is a bonus after selling at the trade deadline.
If all three of the baby bombers can find a way to get red-hot right now, the surging Yankees can find themselves with a terrifyingly good offense down the stretch that other teams will be downright intimidated by.
Matt Carpenter, Randal Grichuk and Jhonny Peralta all homered off closer Tony Watson with two outs in the ninth inning as the St. Louis Cardinals rallied past the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-7.
Kendrys Morales, Royals – Plating five runs against the Twins, the slugger capped the Royals’ seven-run ninth-inning with home run, his second of the game.
Manny Machado’s third grand slam of the year helped the Baltimore Orioles to an 11-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays and Yoenis Cespedes’ two-run homer edged the New York Mets to a 5-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds.
The Blue Jays had already scored twice in the ninth off Dellin Betances when they loaded the bases with one out. Normally he would have been unavailable Tuesday, but September circumstances are different, especially in the situation the Yankees are in.
METS 6, REDS 3: Jose Reyes homered on the first pitch of the game, Noah Syndergaard lasted five shaky shutout innings and visiting NY won its fifth straight.
He struck out seven over six innings of one-run ball in a win against Toronto last time out and has a 2.61 ERA in two starts against NY this season.
He provided plenty. Mitchell lasted five scoreless innings, overcoming early command issues – particularly with his fastball – to strike out two while allowing two walks and four hits.
“I don’t think you could ask for any more”, Girardi said.
For the first time this season, the Yankees have completed a three-game sweep.
“My stuff feels as sharp as it’s been all year”, Stroman said. It just wasn’t what you want to watch on a Wednesday night.
Yankees: Rookie RHP Chad Green (2-4, 4.73) is expected to miss the rest of the season because of a sprained pitching elbow, general manager Brian Cashman said.
“After the whole season I’ve been through, tonight was very rewarding”, said Mitchell, who suffered a potential season-ending foot fracture during the last week of an impressive spring training. “Would we have liked him to make another minor-league (rehab) start? Yes”. In two starts for the Yankees’ top farm club, he threw a total of nine innings and allowed two runs (one earned) while striking out 14.
More importantly, it sent Betances to the bench after he threw 40 pitches, the most he’s thrown since he threw 45 on June 24, 2014.
“It’s insane”, Mitchell said. “I’m ready, I’m excited”.
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“We knew that we have to keep winning to make up ground”, manager Joe Girardi said. Cessa was slapped around in the top of the fifth for three singles by the Blue Jays, including Jose Bautista’s bat shattering RBI single to left. “Hopefully we can take advantage of it”.
