Blue Jays cool off Yankees 6-5, tighten race
TORONTO — Bo Bichette homered twice, including a tiebreaking home run off Clay Holmes in the eighth inning that lifted the Toronto Blue Jays over the Yankees 6-5 on Wednesday, tightened the AL wild-card race and ended New York’s seven-game winning streak.
Boston closed within one game of the wild card-leading Yankees after winning 6-0 at Baltimore, and Toronto is one game back of the Red Sox. Seattle is a half-game in front of the Blue Jays after winning 4-2 over Oakland.
Marcus Semien hit a goahead, two-run homer in the first off a faltering Gerrit Cole, setting a big league record with his 44th home run of the season as a second baseman. Semien topped the 43 by Davey Johnson for Atlanta in 1973.
George Springer doubled on Cole’s first pitch and Semien homered on Cole’s sixth. Springer hit an RBI single in the second and Bichette’s solo homer in the third built a 4-0 lead against Cole, who allowed his first six hits on fastballs.
“Our game plan to establish the fastball and their game plan to jump on it kind of matched up together,” Cole said.
Kyle Higashioka hit a tying, two-run single off Tim Mayza in the seventh.
With the score 5-all, Bichette led off the eighth against Clay Holmes (8-4) with his 28th home run, an opposite-field drive that cleared the scoreboard in right-center.
“He bailed us out,” Semien said.
Bichette beat his chest and raised his fist as he looked into Toronto’s dugout while rounding the bases after his second homer. He has eight home runs against the Yankees this season.
“I still really haven’t calmed down yet,” Bichette said. “Just a lot of excitement. Big spot and I got the job done, so it felt good.”
Adam Cimber (3-4) got four outs for the win. With a runner on second and the crowd of 29,601 on its feet, Jordan Romano retired Tyler Wade on a game-ending flyout for his 22nd save in 23 chances. He has converted 22 in a row, the longest active streak in the big leagues.
New York’s Joey Gallo hurt a hand when he was hit by a Mayza pitch in the sixth and left the game. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Gallo was set for an X-ray and that his condition would be updated today.
Boone also said Luke Voit felt pain in his knee while running to first after striking out as a pinch hitter later in the inning. Voit broke for first on a wild strike three even though there was a runner on first and fewer than two outs.
“Hopefully he should be OK,” Boone said. “When he stopped, it just kind of bit him a little bit.”
Cole allowed five runs and nine hits in six innings, raising his ERA to 3.23. He could start Sunday on three days’ rest against Tampa Bay in the regular-season finale or would be lined up to pitch next Tuesday’s wild-card game.
Cole said he would be ready “as soon as possible.”
“I wish I could keep pitching right now,” Cole said, “and start throwing up some zeroes and make up for it.”