The opportunity for the Toronto Blue Jays to make a statement in the American League playoff race is right in front of them. 10 games in an 18-day span with the New York Yankees. An opportunity for both teams to solidify a playoff spot can be had if they can take command in these 10 head-to-head games.
The first of those opportunities came Monday night at Sahlen Field in Downtown Buffalo.
Early in the game, Toronto was surely second-guessing themselves after many missed opportunities with men left on base and failed chances to cash in.
But in the sixth inning, the game turned upside down. Toronto found themselves trailing 6-2, but the Blue Jays exploded for a memorable half-inning, their best in a decade, scoring 10 runs and took control of the series opener in a 12-7 win over the Yankees.
In the sixth, the Blue Jays quickly had the based loaded on the New York bullpen and cut the Yankees lead to 6-3 after a Luke Voit infield error. That error seemed to give the Blue Jays belief that they were very much still alive in the game. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. followed with a two-run single to make it a 6-5 game. The very next batter, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a single to left field, which tied the game at 6-6. Later, Travis Shaw hit a two-run single to put the Jays up 8-6 to give them the lead for good. Then, a few batters later, Danny Jansen put the game away with a grand slam to left field that made it a 12-6 game.
Yankees reliever Adam Ottavino gave up the worst of the disastrous inning on the mound for New York with six earned runs on four hits and didn’t record an out.
The bottom of the sixth lasted 43 minutes, in which Toronto scored 10 runs, had five hits, four walks, a Yankees error and 13 batters came to the plate. The last time the Jays scored 10 runs in an inning was Aug. 31, 2010 against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Jays starter Hyun Jin Ryu came in red-hot, but gave up five earned runs, three of them on home runs, in five innings of work and left the game trailing 5-2.
Two of the three Yankee home runs came in the first inning; Luke Voit and Aaron Hicks went back-to-back. Voit now has 14 home runs, leading the Yankees, and one behind Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres and Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels for the Major League lead. Miguel Andujar hit the other home run in the fourth inning that gave the Yankees a 3-2 edge.
For a full box score of the game, click here:
Toronto now leads New York in the American League East by two games for second place.
The three-game series continues in Buffalo on Tuesday night at 6:37 p.m. at Sahlen Field.
NOTES:
- Toronto didn’t get great news regarding one of their best players. Outfielder Teoscar Hernández, who leads the team in home runs, has a left oblique strain has been placed on the 10-day injured list.
- Yankees starter Jordan Montgomery made one minor league start at Sahlen Field as member of Scranton/Wilkes-Barrie against the Buffalo Bisons. He won the game, allowing two runs in six innings on Aug. 31, 2016.
- The Yankees began a stretch on Monday in which they will play 17 of their final 20 games in the State of New York; 10 at Yankee Stadium, seven at Sahlen Field. The only series the Yankees play out-of-state is in Boston for a three-game series.