Don’t look now, but the Yankees are so close to first place in East if they have been over the Blue Jays in more than two months after winning a series.
They ended it on Sunday in the Bronx with a 4-3 victory with a grim outing by Max Fried, who struggled in the second and third innings, but settled for seven strong innings in another solid start to help the Yankees to take the series of first place Toronto.
Ben Rice provided most of the attack with a three-run Homer in the first.
And Devin Williams, who had a predominantly miserable first season with the Yankees, threw a scoreless eighth inning against the heart of Toronto’s order to keep a lead of one run before David Bednar the ditch for a second straight match.
Bednar gave up a one-out hit for Nathan Lukes, but Austin Wells threw him out to steal second.
Williams survived a lead – off single by Pinch Hitter Addison Barger – who then fell in second place – by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. To switch, to get Alejandro Kirk on a groundout and, after a walk to Ernie Clement, got Ty France to third place.
The victory placed the Yankees 17 games more than .500, in which they matched their season when they won for the 11th time in 14 games since last month dropped three directly to Boston. The last time they were closer to the first place was on July 3, shortly after they transferred the division to Toronto.
The Yankees received the majority of their attack early, while Rice’s three-run Homer from Max Scherzer came in the first after a 10 pitch at bat, and they added a point in the third, but did not get the rest of the road.
Aaron Judge started the rally in the first with a walk and Cody Bellinger flared to the left to set up Rice’s explosion.
Judge still had a questionable version on the right field, because he deals with a flexor voltage in his judge elbow that clearly influences his throwing.
He made two throws at the top of the second to be good of his usual standard when Fried struggled on the hill.
Fried walked up Kirk to open the inning and Clement doubled to the right. The throw of the judge was reasonable, but with not much zipper.
With runners on the second and third and one out, Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit Anthony Volpe and to the left to ride in a run.
Lukes followed with a flight ball to the center of the right and the judge threw Jazz Chisholm Jr. Instead of shooting home, as Clement scored to bring it 3-2.
Volpe followed with an excellent game on the right on Myles Straw’s grounder in the hole for the last one in the inning to keep the lead.
The ball continued to find right. George Springer opened the third with a double to the right. After he came up awkwardly, Springer took over the base, but Volpe could not apply the tag on time.
The inning got worse when Volpe bounced a throw to the first on a routine grounder by Davis Schneider and rice – filling in the beginning for Paul Goldschmidt – made De Schep, but did not keep his foot on the base.
The mistake was Volpe’s MLB-Tooning 19th of the year.
Toronto bonded the game on Guerrero’s double to the left and had second and third and nobody outside.
But with the corners in it, Fried Kirk first got bouncing to Rice for the first one, Clement got on a soft lining in the middle thanks to a diving handle of Volpe and then France in third place to keep it 3-3.
The Yankees continued again in the second half of the inning with a one-out walk and stolen base by the judge and a flourishing RBI double to the right-hand center of Bellinger.
Rice then sent a rocket to the right. Springer was able to get the second zero and Giancarlo Stanton sniffed.
Judge then saved a point in the fourth with a great dive catch on Springer’s sinking lining for the last zero with Lukes in second place.
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