TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays overcame a squandered eight-run lead to finally edge past the New York Yankees 11-9 on Wednesday night. The decisive moment came when George Springer crossed home plate on a wild pitch by Devin Williams in the eighth inning, drawing the Blue Jays level with the Yankees for first place in the AL East.
Toronto initiated the game with a seven-run offensive burst in the first inning against pitcher Will Warren, establishing an 8-0 advantage by the third. However, the Yankees mounted a significant comeback in the sixth, highlighted by Giancarlo Stanton’s inaugural home run of the season, a three-run shot. New York eventually equalized at 9-9 in the eighth when Aaron Judge connected for a two-run homer off Yimi García, marking Judge’s 31st home run for the year.
In the bottom of the eighth, Springer managed a walk off Williams, stole second base, and followed up on an intentional walk to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. When Alejandro Kirk flied out, both runners advanced, setting the stage for Williams’ errant changeup that allowed Springer to score. Addison Barger then notched an RBI single to cushion the lead.
The triumph marked Toronto’s third consecutive win in the series, equaling the Yankees’ record at 48-38. The Yankees had maintained a solo division lead since mid-April and were up by seven games as of late May. Yet, they have struggled with a 13-18 record since May 28, dropping six out of the last ten series. Meanwhile, Toronto has been in fine form, winning 21 of their last 31 games.
Davis Schneider contributed significantly with two home runs, while Barger added a crucial three-run homer in the first inning. Barger was on base three times total, driving in four runs for the night. In the game’s final inning, Jeff Hoffman joined the mound to navigate around Trent Grisham’s two-out single, ultimately forcing Ben Rice to pop out, securing his 20th save out of 24 opportunities.
Judge, an offensive force for the Yankees, amassed three hits and three RBIs during the game. He faced an intentional walk for the 22nd time this season, one short of Mickey Mantle’s franchise record and the most any player has tallied before the All-Star break since Albert Pujols’ record of 23 back in 2010.
A defining event of the matchup was Springer’s steal of second base, an action pivotal in allowing him to come around and score. Meanwhile, Judge caught attention when he smashed a single in the third inning with an impressive exit velocity of 118.1 mph, his hardest hit since 2022.
Looking ahead, the Yankees anticipate sending right-hander Clarke Schmidt (4-4, 3.09 ERA) to the mound against Blue Jays’ righty Chris Bassitt (7-4, 4.29 ERA) in the closing game of the series on Thursday.