Guerrero Jr. Powers Blue Jays Past Yankees in Tight 5–4 Win
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By Harry Kettle
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Summary:
- The Toronto Blue Jays defeated the New York Yankees 5-4 on Monday, marking their 30th victory in the last 48 games.
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. drove in 3 RBIs during a pivotal sixth inning rally.
- Max Scherzer fanned seven batters over five solid innings in his Blue Jays debut.
The Toronto Blue Jays clawed their way back on Monday night, pulling off a tight 5–4 win over the New York Yankees thanks to some timely hitting from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and a strong start from Max Scherzer.
Guerrero Jr. managed to deliver right when it mattered most, knocking in three runs on a double and a single, including a two-RBI base hit in the sixth inning that turned the tide.
The 25-year-old has been leading the charge for Toronto all season, topping the team charts in homers, RBIs, OPS, and walks. He finished the night 2-for-4 and was once again at the heart of the Blue Jays’ offense.
Guerrero Jr. said postgame,
We’re just playing good baseball right now. Everyone’s doing their part.
Max Scherzer was in control from the start, tossing five innings of three-hit ball while allowing two runs. The veteran didn’t issue a walk and struck out seven, needing only 71 pitches to get through his night.
I felt good. Fastball command was there early, and the slider came around.
Toronto found itself trailing 3–1 heading into the bottom of the sixth but strung together a four-run rally to jump ahead. Guerrero Jr.’s two-run single tied things up, and the Jays would tack on two more before the frame ended.
The Yankees made it close when Cody Bellinger homered in the eighth, a solo shot that cut the lead to 5–4. Earlier, Jazz Chisholm Jr. had homered off Scherzer in the fourth to open the scoring for New York.
Hoffman Locked the Game in the Ninth
Jeff Hoffman shut things down in the ninth, locking up his 19th save of the year and sealing the one-run win in front of a packed house at Rogers Centre. The game wrapped up in a quick 2 hours and 42 minutes.
Toronto is now 46–38 and only two games behind New York in the AL East standings. Since May 8, they’ve gone 30–18, one of the best records in baseball, and rank top-10 in the most major offensive categories.
The win was dampened slightly by an injury to George Springer, who exited after sliding awkwardly into third during Guerrero Jr.’s sixth-inning single. He was 0-for-2 with a walk before leaving.
Next up, Kevin Gausman gets the start for the Blue Jays on Canada Day, while the Yankees will counter with lefty Max Fried.
