The Sports Xchange
Aug 10, 2017
TORONTO -- Gary Sanchez, Didi Gregorius and Todd Frazier hit solo home runs as the New York Yankees defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 11-5 on Wednesday night.
Garrett Cooper had four hits and two RBIs for the Yankees (60-52). Frazier had three RBIs and three hits, and Gregorius added three hits for New York.
Jose Bautista homered for the Blue Jays (53-60), as the teams split the first two games of the three-game series.
Yankees starter Masahiro Tanaka allowed two hits, five walks and three runs (two earned) in four-plus innings. Reliever Chad Green (2-0) allowed two runs in 1 1/3 innings and was awarded the win.
Toronto's Nick Tepesch (0-2), who was brought up from Triple-A Buffalo for the start, allowed eight hits, including three solo home runs, and five runs in 4 1/3 innings.
Sanchez led off the second with his 18th homer of the season, and Frazier followed with his 19th.
The Blue Jays scored a run in the bottom of the second on a groundout to second by Norichika Aoki. It knocked in Steve Pearce, who led off with a walk and took third on Kevin Pillar's double.
Gregorius hit his 18th homer of the season with two outs in the third.
Steve Pearce hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third to cut the Yankees' lead to 3-2. It scored Raffy Lopez, who reached first base on catcher's interference and moved to third after walks by Josh Donaldson and Justin Smoak.
Tepesch left with one out in the fifth after a walk to Aaron Judge and a double by Gregorius. Leonel Campos replaced Tepesch and allowed a two-out, two-run double to Frazier and an RBI double to Jacoby Ellsbury and the Yankees led 6-2.
Bautista led off the bottom of the fifth with is 18th homer of the season. After Donaldson walked, Green replaced Tanaka and finished the inning with three strikeouts.
The Blue Jays cut the Yankees' lead to 6-5 with two runs in the sixth.
After Ryan Goins hit a one-out RBI double, a wild pitch moved him to third base. Lopez walked. Bautista fouled out to the catcher, but Donaldson hit an RBI single.
Frazier led off the eighth with a single, his third hit of the game, which was followed by a double to Cooper two batters later. Ronald Torreyes then hit a two-run single to increase the Yankees' advantage to 8-5.
New York added three runs in the ninth.
NOTES: Yankees RF Clint Frazier (oblique) was a late scratch. INF Garrett Cooper replaced him in the No. 8 spot in the lineup and played first base. Aaron Judge was moved from DH to right field. ... Toronto SS Troy Tulowitzki (sprained right ankle) went on the 60-day disabled list to open a 40-man roster spot for RHP Nick Tepesch, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Buffalo. LHP Matt Dermody was optioned to Buffalo. ... CF Aaron Hicks (right oblique strain) is batting .333 (8-for-24) with three doubles, a home run and three RBIs after seven games of his rehabilitation assignment at Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He could rejoin the Yankees this weekend. ... Yankees RHP Sonny Gray (6-6, 3.41 ERA) faces Blue Jays RHP Marco Estrada (4-7, 5.12 ERA) in the series finale Thursday.