Rice’s Lifts Yankees Over Blue Jays, Ends 11-Game Win Streak
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By Harry Kettle
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Summary:
- Ben Rice hit a go-ahead home run in the ninth as the New York Yankees edged the Toronto Blue Jays 5–4.
- Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Cody Bellinger powered New York early with a three-run homer and a solo homer.
- The Blue Jays’ 11-game home win streak came to an end despite a late attempt to tie the game.
The New York Yankees avoided a sweep on Tuesday night thanks to some late-inning heroics from rookie Ben Rice, whose ninth-inning home run helped his team secure a 5–4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
New York (56–45) jumped on Toronto ace Max Scherzer early. After Trent Grisham and Cody Bellinger opened the baseball game with back-to-back hits, Jazz Chisholm Jr. stepped up and hammered a three-run shot to right field.
“We needed to make a statement early” Chisholm said afterward, and his bat certainly did. Bellinger added to the lead in the fifth with a solo homer to make it 4–2.
On the mound, Cam Schlittler battled through five innings, scattering seven hits and three walks but limiting the damage to two runs.
Tim Hill, Jonathan Loáisiga, Luke Weaver, Ian Hamilton (2–1), and closer Devin Williams combined to hold Toronto at bay the rest of the way.
However, Toronto (59–42) didn’t go quietly. Addison Barger drove in a run in the first and another in the fifth to keep the game close.
Then in the sixth, manager John Schneider went to his bench, bringing in Myles Straw and Davis Schneider. The move paid off when Straw reached on an error and Schneider doubled him home.
Moments later, George Springer tied the game with an RBI double of his own. “We wanted to put pressure on them”, Schneider said of his pinch-hit moves.
Springer: “We’ll Bounce Back”
The game stayed knotted at 4–4 until the ninth, when Toronto reliever Jeff Hoffman (6–3) took the mound. Hoffman, who had been reliable of late, left a 96.9-mph fastball up in the zone, and Rice didn’t miss it, crushing it over the wall to put New York back in front.
Toronto’s four-game overall winning streak and record-setting 11-game home win streak came to an end with the loss. Despite the setback, the Blue Jays are still ahead of the Yankees by three games in the AL East.
“It’s a big swing, but we’ll bounce back”, Springer said.
Looking ahead, the series wraps up Wednesday with Toronto sending Chris Bassitt (10–4) to the hill. The Yankees counter with ace Max Fried (11–3) as they look to build on the momentum from Rice’s game-winning blast.
