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Instant Reaction: Blue Jays top Yankees 11-9 in wild game to draw even for division lead
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Photo credit: © Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Jul 2, 2025, 22:30 EDTUpdated: Jul 2, 2025, 22:57 EDT
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That may go down as the wildest game of the season.
On Thursday evening, the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the New York Yankees 11-9 to move to 48-38. More importantly, they won the four-game series against the Yankees, moving into a tie for the top of the division lead.
Things started great for the Blue Jays, as they loaded the bases with no outs for Alejandro Kirk, with the catcher hitting a two-run single. Up next was Addison Barger, who hit a three-run home run to give the Jays an early 5-0 lead.
It didn’t stop there, as Will Wagner reached to bring Davis Schneider up to the plate. Schenider then hit his second home run of the season to give the Blue Jays a 7-0 lead before the first inning ended. In the bottom of the third, Andres Gimenez hit an RBI single to give the Jays an 8-0 lead.
Everything went wrong in the top of the fifth, as Jose Berrios allowed five consecutive hits, giving the Yankees three runs. After getting the first out of the inning, Giancarlo Stanton hit a three-run home run to bring the Yankees to within two. They added another one in the top of the sixth to make it 8-7 for the Jays.
In the bottom of the seventh, Schneider hit his second home run of the game to give the Jays some insurance. That insurance was needed, as Aaron Judge hit a two-run home run off Yimi Garcia to tie the crazy game up at nine apiece.
The game was won in the bottom of the eighth. After Gimenez struck out, George Springer walked to put a runner on. After stealing second, they intentionally walked Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to put two on with one out. Kirk hit a deep flyout to move both runners, and up stepped Barger. On the first pitch, Devin Williams threw a wild pitch to give the Jays the lead. Barger hit a single to cash in Guerrero Jr. for the 11-9 lead.

Takeaways


There is a whole lot to talk about regarding that game. Let’s start with Jose Berrios, as he cruised through four innings without giving up a run. Then came the top of the fifth, giving up five hits to start the inning.  His final pitch was to Giancarlo Stanton, who hit a three-run home run. Tough outing, but a good start to it.
Andres Gimenez evidently injured himself trying to tag a runner on a stolen base attempt. He stayed in the game, but the effects were obvious, and he was pulled before the top of the ninth for Leo Jimenez. Even worse is that Gimenez had a good game, going 3-5 with an RBI.
Davis Schenider has quickly become an important player for the Blue Jays once again, as he’s now slashing .228/.380/.421 with three home runs in 71 plate appearances for a 134 wRC+. He’s a right-handed power bat the Jays can use off the bench. Those two home runs were vital to the Jays’ win.
Addison Barger hit the team’s other home run on a first pitch to blow the game open. Will Wagner hit a double, while George Springer had a two-hit game. Myles Straw was the only batter who failed to reach base in this game, but he made up for it with a nice catch in the ninth.
As for the Blue Jays’ bullpen, it was hit or miss. Brendon Little gave up an earned run and walked two, while Yimi Garcia returned for the first time in a while and gave up a bomb to Aaron Judge. Yariel Rodriguez pitched an inning and a third, generating a fly out from Stanton to get out of the inning. Jeff Hoffman pitched a scoreless inning to pick up his 20th save of the season.
With the win, both the Blue Jays and Yankees move to 48-38, the top of the division lead. It’s the first time since July 31, 2016, that the Jays have been at the top of the division in July.
The Jays will have a chance to take sole possession of the division with a win on Thursday at 7:07 PM ET. A win would also give the Jays a four-game sweep against a good team. Chris Bassitt is expected to start. Let’s hope he pitches better than he did last Saturday.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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