Aaron Judge hit a mammoth three-run drive in the ninth inning for his first walk-off home run in the major leagues to give the New York Yankees a 6-5 comeback victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night in New York.
New York overcame a shaky start from Luis Severino and improved to 21-8, the best record in the majors.
George Springer launched a leadoff homer for Toronto, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a tiebreaking double in the eighth that helped the Blue Jays take a 5-3 lead.
SPRING forward ???? <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpringerDinger?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#SpringerDinger</a> <a href=”https://t.co/dzKmIhSRU1″>pic.twitter.com/dzKmIhSRU1</a>
—@BlueJays
No. 9 batter Jose Trevino and DJ LeMahieu drew consecutive one-out walks in the ninth from Jordan Romano (1-2) before Judge sent a hanging 1-2 slider 450 feet into the second deck in left field. The big slugger, who hit a walk-off drive from Double-A Trenton in Apri 2015, did a little dance as he approached the plate and was swarmed by excited teammates.
It was the second blown save in 14 chances this season for Romano, who began the night leading the majors in saves.
Wandy Peralta (1-0) pitched a hitless ninth for the win.
Santiago Espinal had an early two-run double — originally ruled a home run — as Toronto quickly built a 3-0 lead against Severino, who started on eight days’ rest.
Yusei Kikuchi pitched five hitless innings before Stanton tied the score in the sixth with a three-run homer off reliever Yimi Garcia that cleared Yankee Stadium’s short right-field porch by just a few rows. The 335-foot drive would not have been a home run in any other big league ballpark, according to Statcast.
That’s when the fireworks really started.
Garcia ejected, Toronto takes lead in 8th inning
Garcia hit the next batter, Josh Donaldson, just around the left elbow pad with a 94 mph fastball on an 0-1 count.
Players on the New York bench didn’t like it, but Donaldson calmly went to first base and the umpires convened on the infield grass.
And when Yankees reliever Jonathan Loaisiga brushed back Bo Bichette with a 97 mph fastball in the seventh, plate umpire Lance Barrett heard something from the Blue Jays bench and ejected flabbergasted manager Charlie Montoyo.
Toronto regained its composure and put together a two-run rally in the eighth. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. drew a leadoff walk from Loaisiga and raced all the way home from first with a headfirst slide on Gurriel’s line-drive double to left field off Chad Green.
Gurriel advanced to third on the throw home and scored on Alejandro Kirk’s sacrifice fly.
Toronto has lost three straight and six of eight.
Are they booing or saying GUUU-rriel? ???? <a href=”https://t.co/R4fM4loSTV”>pic.twitter.com/R4fM4loSTV</a>
—@BlueJays
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