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Series Recap: Blue Jays win sixth consecutive series by taking two of three against Yankees
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Photo credit: © Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Aug 18, 2026, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 18, 2026, 16:16 EDT
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On July 26th, the Toronto Blue Jays sat five and a half games back of the final wild card spot.
Since then, they’ve been one of the hottest teams in Major League Baseball, winning their last six series and amassing a record of 13-7 in that stretch. That most recent series victory came against their American League East rivals, the New York Yankees.
After taking three of four from the Boston Red Sox, the Jays began a three-game weekend series against the Yankees at Rogers Centre. On Friday, the two teams remained scoreless after five innings, but Trent Grisham’s solo home run off Shane Bieber got the Yankees on the board.
The Jays responded immediately. With runners on first and second and no outs, George Springer grounded out, with the Yankees getting a force out at third. However, a pair of throwing errors allowed Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to score. Unfortunately, he was removed from the game and later placed on the 7-day concussion injured list.
Alejandro Kirk stepped up to the plate with Springer on second, and on the first pitcher the Blue Jays’ catcher saw, he smacked a double down the line to give the Jays a 2-1 lead. For good measure, Kirk hit his fifth home run of the season in the bottom of the eighth, giving the Jays a 3-1 victory.
With Jameson Taillon’s injury, the Jays relied on a bullpen day on Saturday in the hunt for their sixth consecutive series win. Again, the Yankees scored first, with George Lombard Jr. hitting an RBI single in the top of the second. Kirk’s great series continued in the bottom of the third, hitting an RBI single to knot the game up at one.
The score stood that way until the bottom of the seventh. Ernie Clement pinch hit for Josh Smith, hitting a first pitch splitter into left field and bringing up Charles McAdoo. On a 2-1 count, McAdoo hit his first career double to drive in what turned out to be the game-winning run. The Jays eventually managed to load the bases, but a strikeout and lineout ended the threat.
But again, the Jays loaded the bases, as the first three batters reached in the bottom of the eighth. That brought up McAdoo to the plate again, and the third baseman hit an RBI single. A ground ball drove in a fourth run, helping the Jays win 4-1.
Looking for their first sweep since June, the Jays failed to win the series finale again. On Sunday, the Yankees scored the opening run again, this time on a sacrifice fly. The Jays had an answer again, as Daz Cameron hit an RBI double to knot the game up at one.
It didn’t take long for the Yankees to restore their lead, tacking on a run in the top of the seventh, one of two runs that Dylan Cease surrendered in this game. Down to three outs, Smith reached on a fielding error to kick off the bottom of the ninth, and was moved to second thanks to Kirk drawing a walk. The Yankees had more sloppy play, as a wild pitch allowed both runners to move 90 feet with Clement at the plate.
Clement managed to tie the game with a sacrifice fly, but the Jays stranded a runner at second base as Kazuma Okamoto grounded out to send the two teams to extra.
Unfortunately, the Yankees managed to outlast the Jays, with Ben Rice hitting a go-ahead, two-run shot. The Jays scored a run of their own in the bottom half of the 10th, but Andrés Giménez was left stranded at first in a 4-3 loss.
This tough run of games continues, as the Jays embark on a six-game road trip. Their first opponent will be the AL East division leaders, the Tampa Bay Rays, before another weekend series against the Yankees, this time in The Bronx.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, DFOEdmonton, and DFOCalgary. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
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