Wells’ homer, King’s superb show give Yankees 2-0 win in Toronto

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New York Yankees 2, Toronto Blue Jays 0

TORONTO — In the ninth inning, Austin Wells smashed a two-run homer, propelling the New York Yankees to a 2-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night.

Michael King, along with two relievers, collaborated to limit the Blue Jays to just three hits, solidifying the Yankees’ position as the best team in the major leagues since August 28 with an impressive record of 18 wins and 9 losses.

In the ninth inning, with Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano (5-7) on the mound, Gleyber Torres kickstarted the Yankees‘ offense with a leadoff single. Wells, not wasting any time, sent the very first pitch he saw soaring into the left-field bullpen, marking his third home run.

Romano, who had faced his first blown save since May 20 in a game against Tampa Bay last Saturday, found himself on the losing end of the match for the second consecutive time.

Jhony Brito (9-7) delivered a two-inning performance to secure the win, while Clay Holmes closed out the game, notching his 23rd save out of 26 opportunities.

Although Toronto entered the contest holding a 1 1/2-game lead over Houston in the AL wild-card standings, they couldn’t enhance their postseason prospects.

This marked the seventh shutout of the season for New York, while Toronto experienced their 10th scoreless outing.

In the first game of the three-game series, Yankees manager Aaron Boone decided to grant slugger Aaron Judge and shortstop Anthony Volpe a well-deserved day off.

During the third inning, Toronto managed to load the bases with two outs. Michael King initially fell behind 3-0 while facing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. However, he rallied with three consecutive strikes to evade the predicament without any damage, ultimately catching Guerrero looking to conclude the inning.

In an impressive performance, Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman held the opposition to just three hits over seven scoreless innings. He issued two walks and recorded five strikeouts, elevating his total to 237 strikeouts for the season, the highest in the American League.

Gausman’s dominance was evident as he didn’t concede a hit until outfielder Estevan Florial singled to open the sixth inning. DJ LeMahieu then grounded into a double play in the ensuing at-bat.

In the sixth inning, Giancarlo Stanton ignited the Yankees’ offense with a one-out double. He advanced to third when Isiah Kiner-Falefa singled. Oswaldo Cabrera then hit a ground ball to shortstop, and Bo Bichette, the Blue Jays’ shortstop, made a strong throw to cut down Stanton at home plate. Oswald Peraza followed with a flyout to conclude the inning.

During his impressive six-scoreless-inning performance at Rogers Center, Michael King allowed just one hit. He registered five strikeouts and issued five walks, one more than his combined walk total over seven previous starts.

It’s worth noting that King had a similar five-walk outing on August 8, 2020, when he faced Tampa Bay.

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On Wednesday, it was anticipated that Blue Jays right-handed pitcher José Berríos (11-11, 3.58 ERA) would take the mound against Yankees right-handed pitcher Gerrit Cole (14-4, 2.75 ERA).

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