TORONTO – It had all the warning signs of a lost night for the Yankees north of the border, another addition in the making for their growing collection this year. An early lead had slipped away with defense having opened the door again, seemingly certain to be a focal point in the outcome.
Then Ben Rice saw a fastball up in the strike zone, swung hard, and changed the narrative. Rice’s go-ahead ninth-inning home run came on the first pitch he saw from Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman, powering the Yankees to a 5-4 victory on Tuesday evening at Rogers Centre.
“It was huge,” Rice said. “Obviously, we’d lost five in a row to these guys, so coming back and getting a win here – it gives us some good momentum.”
As Rice noted, the comeback marked New York’s first win in six contests played at Rogers Centre this season, snapping Toronto’s streak of 11 consecutive home victories. New York (56-45) sits three games back of the Blue Jays (59-42) in the American League East race.
“As hot as they’ve been, it definitely feels good,” manager Aaron Boone said. “We’ve got a chance to win a series now and get off on a good note in the second half.”
Rice’s big blow came after an in-game adjustment courtesy of Jazz Chisholm Jr., who made a fourth-inning suggestion that Rice should try getting the bat head out more quickly and to “trust your bat – this is why you’re here.”
“It was a good conversation,” Rice said. “He was saying, ‘The timing looks good, but just find a way to shorten up.’ … I just looked at some video real quick. It’s good, anyone I can talk to, just to walk through some things -- I think it helped.”
The blast restored control after the Yankees flexed muscle to build an early lead against Max Scherzer. Chisholm cracked a three-run homer, and Cody Bellinger connected for a solo blast, part of a three-hit night for Bellinger that also included several sharp defensive plays.
Chisholm said his blast off Scherzer came on a “pitch right down the middle.”
“I’ve faced him so many times; I’ve seen all of his pitches for the last six years,” Chisholm said. “If you see a guy enough, you start to really see how his stuff looks every at-bat. I just feel a little bit more comfortable.”
The advantage wouldn’t last long. Toronto chipped away in the fifth against rookie Cam Schlittler, though the right-hander held a gritty Blue Jays lineup to a pair of run-scoring Addison Barger singles in his second Major League start.
“They don’t miss much. They don’t strike out much,” said Schlittler, who walked three and struck out three in a 90-pitch effort (63 strikes). “They definitely put the ball in play, and I knew that coming into it. Limiting the damage is good, but I was falling behind.”
Boone said he has been impressed by Schlittler’s confidence.
“He feels he’s got the stuff to handle you. That shows in the way he carries himself,” Boone said. “It shows the way he attacks. He’s not afraid.”
Toronto capitalized in the sixth after Volpe committed his 13th error of the season – tied with Giants shortstop Willy Adames for the most among Major League position players. Boone acknowledged after Monday’s game that Volpe has made “a few too many” errors.
One inning after Volpe and Chisholm connected for a dazzling double play up the middle that featured a Chisholm barehand, Volpe fielded Myles Straw’s grounder and bounced a throw that Rice was unable to scoop at first base.
Giving the Blue Jays extra outs, of course, is a recipe for trouble. Facing Tim Hill, Davis Schneider roped a one-out RBI double that cut the lead to one run, and George Springer greeted Jonathan Loáisiga with a run-scoring single to right field.
But the Yankees pinned the damage there, with Luke Weaver notching five outs in a 30-pitch effort.
Ian Hamilton recorded the final out of the eighth, and when Rice launched his go-ahead blast into the right-field bullpen, the ball pelted the ground close to Devin Williams – who would enter and pitch around a hit for his 15th save.
“I just heard all the fans cheering – I looked up and it was about to land on me, so I thought, ‘I’d better get going here,’” Williams said.