Blue Jays win a truly wild one in the Bronx
Martin walks with the bases loaded after Jays blow 5-0 lead
NEW YORK — Pitcher Dellin Betances of the New York Yankees threw a full-count breaking ball to Russell Martin of Toronto that sailed well high and outside, forcing in the go-ahead run last night for an eventual Jays win.
The all-star reliever swiped at the toss back from catcher Austin Romine as manager Joe Girardi walked to the mound and fans booed on another long afternoon for the Yankees in New York City.
“The team is fighting. You can’t put the blame on those guys. I’ll take the blame,” Betances said after Wednesday’s 7-6 American League baseball loss to Toronto.
Justin Smoak and Kendrys Morales hit back-to-back home runs in the third inning off Michael Pineda, who also allowed Kevin Pillar’s leadoff homer in the fourth that put the Jays ahead 5-0.
Aaron Judge started a comeback with his major-league-leading 29th homer, a two-run shot in the fourth. The Yankees surged ahead 6-5 when Ji-Man Choi hit a two-run homer in the fifth and Didi Gregorius’s two-run double chased Marco Estrada, who was pitching on his 33rd birthday.
Judge’s homer tied Joe DiMaggio’s Yankees rookie record, set in 1936, and Choi’s came in his New York debut.
The Jays Martin tied the score 6-6 with a seventh-inning homer against Chad Green, then walked to drive in the go-ahead run in the eighth.
With a runner on first, Roberto Osuna struck out Judge for the final out. “Our best against their best,” Toronto manager John Gibbons said, “and our best won.”
Miguel Montero, making his Blue Jays debut, fouled off a pair of 3-2 pitches leading off their eighth against Betances (3-4) before taking an inside curve.
Worried about a bunt, Betances walked Kevin Pillar on four pitches, then put on No. 9 hitter Ryan Goins with four more. He started Jose Bautista with another ball — his 10th in a row — before recovering to throw a called third strike past the slugger.
Betances fell behind Martin 2-0, evened the count, and missed with a pair of curves.
“In the short term I’m concerned about him. Long term I’m not,” Girardi said.
Betances has walked 17 of his past 55 batters, including 11 of his past 22. He’s rushing his lower body, causing him to fly open.
“I’m between two different deliveries, and it’s not helping me when I’m out there,” he said.
Betances, a six-foot-eight righthander picked for his fourth straight all-star game, admitted he was frustrated.
“It’s a big body,” Romine said. “It’s hard for him to get stuff going the way he needed to go.”
Adam Warren relieved, threw a called third strike past Smoak, then retired Morales on a fly out.
Last-place Toronto took two of three from New York and won consecutive games for the first time since June 18-19.
Leading the AL East by four games on June 13 with a 38-23 record, the Yankees have lost 16 of their past 22 and are 0-6-1 in their past seven series.
“You can turn it around and get hot and win a lot of games like we were before,” Girardi said.
Danny Barnes (2-2) threw 1 2/3 innings and Osuna converted his 20th consecutive save chance and 21st overall this season.
Brett Gardner singled with two outs, and Osuna struck out Judge.