Alejandro Kirk powers Blue Jays past Yankees in series opener
On Friday night, the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the New York Yankees 3-1, led by Alejandro Kirk, who contributed two runs with an RBI double and a solo home run. The win marked Toronto’s 28th comeback this season, improving their record to 60-64 while extending their impressive streak of success following losses.
TORONTO — Alejandro Kirk delivered at both ends of a tight game Friday night, driving in two runs as the Toronto Blue Jays opened their series against the New York Yankees with a 3-1 victory at Rogers Centre.
The Mexican catcher broke through against Gerrit Cole with an RBI double in the sixth inning before adding a solo home run in the eighth. Kirk finished 2-for-3 with a walk, accounting for two of Toronto’s three runs in its 28th comeback victory of the season.
The Blue Jays improved to 60-64 and have now won 12 of their last 18 games and 14 of their last 22. They also extended an impressive response streak, moving to 9-0 in games immediately following a loss since July 22.
For much of the evening, Shane Bieber and Cole controlled the game from the mound.
Bieber allowed one run on four hits and one walk over six innings, striking out five on 84 pitches. It was his third quality start of the season and the fourth time in his last six outings that he has surrendered no more than one run.
The Yankees created opportunities in the opening innings but could not capitalize. Trent Grisham singled in the third and Spencer Jones doubled in the fourth, but Bieber kept New York off the scoreboard until the sixth.
Grisham finally broke the scoreless tie by sending a four-seam fastball over the wall in right field for his 16th home run of the season. It was his fourth homer in five games and the only run Bieber allowed.
The top of the sixth also featured the ejection of Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who was tossed by home-plate umpire Vic Carapazza for the 50th managerial ejection of his career and his fourth this season.
Toronto answered immediately in the bottom half. Brett Bateman began the rally with a single, and Kirk drove an RBI double for his fifth two-base hit of the season. The Blue Jays scored twice in the inning to turn a one-run deficit into a 2-1 advantage against Cole.
The Yankees starter completed six innings, allowing two runs, only one earned, on five hits and two walks while striking out five. Cole has now allowed three runs or fewer in each of his last eight starts, but Toronto made its limited opportunities count.
Alejandro Kirk powers Blue Jays past Yankees in series opener
Kirk gave the Blue Jays additional separation in the eighth. He lifted a solo home run into right-centre field for his fifth of the season, extending the lead to 3-1 and giving Toronto’s bullpen some valuable insurance.
It was Kirk’s first game with multiple extra-base hits this season and his 10th multi-hit performance. His production has been building steadily over the past several weeks.
Across his last 26 games, Kirk is batting .349 with three doubles, three home runs, 14 RBI and a .423 on-base percentage. That stretch has lifted his OPS to .917 and established him as one of Toronto’s most consistent hitters during its recent improvement.
Kirk has also remained particularly effective with runners in scoring position. He is batting .353 in those situations this season, recording five doubles and 16 RBI with a .932 OPS.
Bateman continued the encouraging start to his major-league career by adding another single in the seventh. He finished 2-for-4 and has recorded at least one hit in six of his first seven games, batting .290 with two doubles and three RBI.
Andrés Giménez also contributed a second-inning double, extending his on-base streak to a season-high 11 games. He is batting .308 with four extra-base hits and seven RBI during that run.
After Bieber completed six innings, Toronto’s bullpen protected the lead. Tyler Rogers retired four of the five batters he faced during 1.1 scoreless innings, continuing a dominant stretch in which he has posted a 0.84 ERA over his last 33 appearances.
Louis Varland then retired the Yankees in order in the ninth to earn his 27th save. His 1.28 ERA and 1.93 FIP remained the best marks in the majors among pitchers who have faced at least 200 batters.
Toronto moved back to .500 at Rogers Centre with a 32-32 home record and levelled its season series against New York at four wins apiece. On a night dominated by pitching, Kirk supplied the swings that made the difference.
