Don’t look now, but the Yankees are as close to first place in the AL East as they have been in more than two months after winning a series over the Blue Jays.
They closed it out Sunday in The Bronx with a 4-3 win that featured a gritty outing by Max Fried, who struggled in the second and third innings but settled in for seven strong innings in another solid start to help the Yankees take the series from first-place Toronto.
Ben Rice provided most of the offense with a three-run homer in the first.
And Devin Williams, who’s had a mostly miserable first season with the Yankees, pitched a scoreless eighth inning against the heart of Toronto’s order to preserve a one-run lead before David Bednar closed it for a second straight game.
Bednar gave up a one-out hit to Nathan Lukes, but Austin Wells threw him out trying to steal second.
Williams survived a leadoff single by pinch hitter Addison Barger — who then swiped second — by striking out Vladimir Guerrero Jr., getting Alejandro Kirk on a groundout and, after a walk to Ernie Clement, got Ty France to ground to third.
The victory put the Yankees 17 games over .500, matching their season high as they won for the 11th time in 14 games since dropping three straight to Boston last month. The last time they were closer to first place was on July 3, shortly after they surrendered the division lead to Toronto.
The Yankees got most of their offense early on, as Rice’s three-run homer off Max Scherzer in the first came after a 10-pitch at-bat, and they added a run in the third, but didn’t get a hit the rest of the way.
Aaron Judge started the rally in the first with a walk and Cody Bellinger flared a single to left to set up Rice’s blast.
Judge had another questionable performance in right field, as he deals with a flexor strain in his right elbow that’s clearly impacting his throwing.
He made two throws in the top of the second that were well off his usual standard as Fried struggled on the mound.
Fried walked Kirk to open the inning and Clement doubled to right. Judge’s throw was decent, but with not much zip on it.
With runners on second and third and one out, Isiah Kiner-Falefa singled past Anthony Volpe and into left to drive in a run.
Lukes followed with a fly ball to medium right field and Judge threw to Jazz Chisholm Jr. rather than firing home, as Clement scored to make it 3-2.
Volpe followed with an excellent play to his right on Myles Straw’s grounder into the hole for the final out of the inning to preserve the lead.
The ball continued to find Judge. George Springer opened the third with a double to right. After going in awkwardly standing up, Springer overran the base, but Volpe couldn’t apply the tag in time.
The inning got worse when Volpe bounced a throw to first on a routine grounder by Davis Schneider and Rice — filling in for Paul Goldschmidt at first — made the scoop, but didn’t keep his foot on the base.
The error was Volpe’s MLB-leading 19th of the year.
Toronto tied the game on Guerrero’s double to left and had second and third and no one out.
But with the corners in, Fried got Kirk to bounce to Rice at first for the first out, got Clement on a soft liner up the middle thanks to a diving grab by Volpe and then France grounded to third to keep it 3-3.
The Yankees went ahead again in the bottom of the inning with a one-out walk and stolen base by Judge and a booming RBI double to right-center from Bellinger.
Rice then sent a rocket to right. Springer was able to get to it for the second out and Giancarlo Stanton whiffed.
Judge then saved a run in the fourth with a terrific diving catch on Springer’s sinking liner for the final out with Lukes on second.
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