Aaron Judge hit a two-run home run, Gerrit Cole struck out six in five innings and the visiting New York Yankees defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 8-1 Sunday afternoon.
Trent Grisham and DJ LeMahieu added two RBIs each to help the Yankees gain a split in the four-game series.
Cole (1-1) allowed one run, three hits and one walk. He hit two batters with pitches.
Toronto right-hander Kevin Gausman (6-7) allowed seven runs, seven hits and five walks with seven strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.
Juan Soto, who was not in the original lineup because of a bruised right hand, singled with one out in the first. Judge hit a mammoth shot to center for his major-league-leading 31st homer of the season.
New York added two in the second. Ben Rice and Austin Wells walked and LeMahieu hit an RBI single. Grisham singled to load the bases, and Soto walked to force in a run.
Spencer Horwitz walked with one out in the home third, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was hit by a pitch and Justin Turner singled in a run.
New York scored three in the fifth. Gleyber Torres led off with a single, Rice walked and LeMahieu hit a one-out RBI double. Genesis Cabrera replaced Gausman and allowed Grisham’s two-run double.
Guerrero stayed in the game after being hit on the hand, but was replaced by pinch hitter Davis Schneider in the eighth.
Alex Verdugo and Rice doubled in the sixth against Nate Pearson and New York led 8-1.
Michael Tonkin replaced Cole in the sixth. He pitched 1 2/3 innings with three strikeouts before being replaced by Tim Hill after allowing a two-out single in the seventh.
Toronto center fielder Kevin Kiermaier robbed Verdugo of a possible two-run homer with a leaping catch at the wall in the eighth.
Toronto’s Bo Bichette was given a scheduled day off. Isiah Kiner-Falefa played shortstop in his place and went 0-for-4 to end a 13-game hit streak.
The Yankees selected left-hander Josh Maciejewski to the active roster Sunday and he pitched the ninth, allowing only a walk. Right-hander Phil Bickford was designated for assignment.
–Field Level Media
