Blue Jays strike late to secure series win over Yankees
The Toronto Blue Jays defeated the New York Yankees 4-1, marking their sixth series win in seven tries. Charles McAdoo shone with two late-game RBIs, while Alejandro Kirk and Ernie Clement contributed key hits. Ricky Tiedemann made his MLB debut, and the Blue Jays improved to 61-64, continuing their strong performance.
Photo: Toronto Blue Jays
TORONTO — Charles McAdoo delivered twice in the late innings as the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the New York Yankees 4-1 on Saturday at Rogers Centre, securing their sixth series win in their last seven.
With the game tied in the seventh, McAdoo drove an RBI double off the centre-field wall to give Toronto its first lead of the afternoon. He added a bases-loaded RBI single in the eighth, finishing 2-for-4 with two RBI in the Blue Jays’ 29th comeback victory of the season.
Toronto improved to 61-64 after winning for the 13th time in 19 games and the 15th time in its last 23. The Blue Jays have gone 15-8 since July 23, a .652 winning percentage that ranked third among American League clubs at the end of Saturday’s game.
New York opened the scoring in the second inning. Spencer Jones singled, stole second and came home when George Lombard Jr. delivered an RBI single.
The run came against Ricky Tiedemann, who made his long-awaited major-league debut after Braydon Fisher opened the game with a scoreless first inning.
Ricky Tiedemann made his debut in the Majors
Tiedemann allowed one run on two hits over 1.2 innings, striking out two without issuing a walk. His first major-league strikeout came when he got Austin Wells to swing through an 0-2 sweeper to end the second.
The left-hander became the 13th Blue Jays player to make his MLB debut this season. While his first appearance was brief, he kept Toronto within one run before handing the game back to the bullpen.
Alejandro Kirk pulled the Blue Jays level in the third. After Brett Bateman singled and advanced into scoring position, Kirk brought him home with an RBI single to make it 1-1.
The hit continued Kirk’s productive stretch at the plate. Over his last 27 games, the Mexican catcher is batting .349 with three home runs, 15 RBI and a .431 on-base percentage. He also received two intentional walks Saturday, showing how New York approached him in critical situations.
Yankees starter Cam Schlittler limited Toronto to one run over 5.1 innings, allowing four hits and three walks while striking out seven. The Blue Jays were unable to break through against him, but they took control after New York turned to its bullpen.
Clement and McAdoo delivered for the Blue Jays
Ernie Clement entered as a pinch-hitter in the seventh and immediately sparked the decisive rally with a single. McAdoo then sent a drive off the wall in centre field, allowing Clement to score the go-ahead run.
It was McAdoo’s first major-league double and his third game-winning RBI of the season. It was also his first game-winning hit to come in the seventh inning or later.
Toronto added two insurance runs in the eighth, with McAdoo driving in another on a bases-loaded single. He has appeared in all six games of the current homestand, batting .313 with a double, a home run, four RBI and a .963 OPS.
Clement added another single in the eighth to complete a 2-for-2 afternoon. He has been particularly effective against the Yankees this season, going 13-for-30 with five extra-base hits and a 1.118 OPS across nine games.
Bateman also recorded two hits and drew a walk. The rookie extended his hitting streak to six games and has now collected at least one hit in seven of his first eight major-league appearances. He is batting .314 since joining Toronto.
The Blue Jays’ pitching staff protected the narrow margin throughout the afternoon. Simeon Woods Richardson followed Tiedemann with 2.1 hitless innings, allowing one walk and striking out two. He has surrendered only one earned run over 15.1 innings in five appearances since joining Toronto.
Fisher’s scoreless opening inning also extended his personal run of 10 consecutive innings without allowing a run.
Louis Varland closed the game emphatically, striking out all three Yankees he faced in the ninth to earn his 28th save. His 1.26 ERA and 1.86 FIP remained the best marks in the majors among pitchers who have faced at least 200 batters.
Toronto moved above .500 at Rogers Centre with a 33-32 home record and improved to 5-4 against New York this season. With the series already secured, the Blue Jays will send Dylan Cease to the mound Sunday as they attempt to complete the sweep.
