Yankees hold off Blue Jays in humid Bronx battle
New York edges Toronto 5-4 on a 33-degree night as Rice and McMahon deliver crucial homers for the home team.
The New York Yankees outlasted the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 Tuesday night in sweltering Bronx heat, as Ben Rice's two-run homer broke a fifth-inning tie and held up through the final out.
Ryan McMahon pulled the Yankees even with a three-run shot off Dylan Cease in the fourth inning, following two walks. Will Warren earned the win with five innings pitched, and the Yankees' bullpen—Tim Hill, Jake Bird, and Brent Headrick—combined to allow just one hit over three scoreless innings. Camilo Doval, getting a breather shift from closer David Bednar, earned his second save with New York by retiring Kazuma Okamoto on a game-ending grounder to Anthony Volpe with two runners in scoring position.
Cease struck out nine for Toronto but needed 100 pitches to get through five innings, walking four batters including Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm Jr. Rice's opposite-field blast to left tied him with Judge for the team lead with 16 homers. The Jays had jumped to a 3-0 lead in the fourth on RBI singles from Yohendrick Pinango, Jesús Sánchez, and Andrés Giménez.
Toronto's Ernie Clement, who drove in four runs in Monday's 7-6 loss, didn't start due to strep throat but delivered a pinch-hit single in the ninth. Yankee manager Aaron Boone was ejected in the seventh after arguing a diving catch by centre-fielder Daulton Varsho, marking his 48th career managerial ejection.
The Yankees improved to 11-1 in their last 12 home games, continuing a run that's become one of the season's few bright spots in what's otherwise been a competitive AL East scramble.