By Canadian Press

Aaron Judge’s early two-run blast powers Yankees past Blue Jays 8-1

Jun 30, 2024 | 2:45 PM

TORONTO — Aaron Judge’s two-run homer staked New York to an early lead that the Yankees would never relinquish in a 8-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.

DJ LeMahieu drove in two more runs with a single and a double as New York (54-32) split the four-game series. Trent Grisham added a two-run double and Ben Rice had an RBI single.

Gerrit Cole (1-1) allowed one run on three hits and a walk over five innings. Last year’s Cy Young Award winner struck out six and lowered his earned-run average to 6.23 in just his second start of the season.

Michael Tonkin, Tim Hill and Josh Maciejewski combined for four innings of scoreless relief.

Justin Turner’s RBI single in the fourth inning was the only run Toronto (38-45) managed to score as its offence continues to run hot and cold.

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Kevin Gausman (6-7) gave up seven runs on seven hits and five walks but struck out seven over 4 1/3 innings. Genesis Cabrera, Nate Pearson, Jose Cuas, Chad Green and Bowden Francis came out of the Blue Jays’ bullpen.

Judge quickly got the Yankees on the board, with a towering blast to dead centre off a 94.5 m.p.h. four-seam fastball from Gausman. Judge’s 31st home run of the year flew 423 feet with an exit velocity of 109.8 m.p.h., scoring Juan Soto in the process for a 2-0 lead.

LeMahieu tacked another run on to New York’s edge in the second inning when his hit dropped into left field. That gave Rice time to score from second and advance Austin Wells to second.

A Grisham single loaded the bases and although Gausman struck out Anthony Volpe, Soto drew a walk — the third of the inning — to push Wells across the plate for a 4-0 lead.

Gausman struck out Judge and then induced a popfly from Alex Verdugo to limit the damage and get out of the inning.

Turner replied for Toronto in the third when his basehit to centre field scored Spencer Horwitz from second. It was Turner’s 26th RBI of the season.

Back-to-back doubles in the fifth gave the Yankees an even larger lead.

LeMahieu’s hit to centre field scored Gleyber Torres, then Grisham’s shot to deep right field eluded Toronto outfielder George Springer to cash in LeMahieu and Rice for a 7-1 Yankees advantage.

Rice added another run in the next inning with a double to centre plating Verdugo.

ARMS DEAL — Toronto got right-handed pitcher Yerry Rodríguez from the Texas Rangers in a trade for righty Josh Mollerus 20 minutes before the game. Rodríguez was immediately optioned to the Blue Jays’ triple-A affiliate in Buffalo, N.Y.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER — Soto was a very late addition to the Yankees lineup, getting added to the batting order six minutes before the opening pitch. He missed Saturday’s 9-3 loss to the Blue Jays with a bruised right hand.

ON DECK — MLB rookie Yariel Rodriguez (0-2) gets the start as Toronto welcomes the Houston Astros in a Canada Day matinee.

Francis will likely take the mound for the Blue Jays after Rodriguez, as the starter still has a cap on his pitch count.

Hunter Brown (5-5) is scheduled for Houston in the only American League game on Monday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 30, 2024.

John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press