TORONTO — Aaron Judge was having a pretty miserable series until he stepped up to bat Wednesday with two outs and the bases loaded in the top of the ninth inning of a tied game.
The Yankees captain was 0-for-12 with seven strikeouts, leading to a slow start to the season.
But he made a last-minute hit that saved him and the Yankees, who had lost their first three games, a complete flop in the series.
Judge hit a two-run hit down the third base line, giving the Yankees a 6-4 victory over the Blue Jays and narrowly avoiding a third straight loss at Rogers Center.
Judge’s clutch hit came on a full count against left-hander Tim Meza, the same relief pitcher who hit the outfielder’s 61st home run in 2022.
The Blue Jays (10-9) appeared to have a right-hander available in the bullpen, but they stuck with Mayza and paid the price.
In the bottom of the 9th inning, Anthony Volpe finished the game with a great play to midfield, sliding to catch Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s ground ball and firing it to first base for the final out.
The Yankees (13 wins, 6 losses) entered the 9th inning with 4 wins and 2 losses. Giancarlo Stanton hit a 437-foot home run off Eric Swanson to make it a one-run lead.
Gleyber Torres, who had no hits and three strikeouts in three at-bats that day, followed with a single to center field, and then Alex Verdugo tied the game at third base with a double to the right field corner.
An infield hit earned Swanson his first out as Oswaldo Cabrera hit a chopper to second base.
Meiza then entered from the bullpen and Jose Trevino came in as a pinch hitter for Austin Wells. Trevino hit a line drive single off the glove of second baseman Isaiah Kiner-Falefa, who was pulled in, to tie the game at four.
After one out, Juan Soto issued a full-count walk and the judges ruled the bases loaded.
Up until the ninth inning, Soto and Cabrera had five of the Yankees’ six hits. Soto hit a home run off Kevin Guzman off Cabrera (also a double) in the fifth inning, and a deep solo shot off left-handed pitcher Genesis Cabrera in the eighth inning to pull the Yankees within 4-2.
Gausman became the third Blue Jays starter in recent days to stifle Yankees batters, holding him to just one run through five innings despite a terrible start in which he was hit back-to-back (against the Yankees). (Including one week of games). half ago in the Bronx).
In the three-game set, Gausman, Yusei Kikuchi and Chris Bassitt combined for 17 1/3 innings, allowing just three runs on 12 hits and six walks, with 20 strikeouts.
Marcus Stroman was solid in his second start at Rogers Center since being traded from the Blue Jays to the Mets in 2019.
The right-handed pitcher gave up two runs in 5 1/3 innings, both of which came on Dalton Varsho’s home run in the second inning.
Varsho hit another home run in the seventh off left-handed reliever Caleb Ferguson, giving the Blue Jays a 3-1 lead.
