Aaron Judge hit a tiebreaking homer to highlight a three-run sixth inning as the host New York Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-1 to complete a doubleheader sweep on Sunday.
The Yankees won the opener 11-2 thanks in large part to a bases-clearing double by Austin Wells to cap a six-run third inning off Kevin Gausman.
A day after his 33rd birthday, Judge ended a nine-game homerless drought by lining a first-pitch cutter from Toronto starter Chris Bassitt (2-2) into the right-center field seats.
Judge extended his on-base streak to 24 games and ended the doubleheader with a major-league-leading.406 batting average.
Trent Grisham hit Bassitt’s third pitch of the game for a homer, and the Yankees got to him in the sixth with several hard hits.
After Judge’s homer, Jasson Dominguez roped an RBI double to left to chase Bassitt. Rookie J.C. Escarra added an RBI single off reliever Brendon Little for a 4-1 lead before hitting his first career homer in the eighth. The 415-foot drive into the right-center field bleachers came against former Yankees pitcher Chad Green.
Anthony Santander broke an 0-for-25 skid with a tying homer off New York starter Clarke Schmidt in the third. Toronto lost for the seventh time in eight games and was held to three hits.
In Schmidt’s third start following a shoulder injury, he went five innings, walking four and striking out six, including George Springer and Andres Gimenez with two on in the first.
Bassitt allowed four runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings after entering the game without giving up a homer in his first 28 2/3 innings. The right-hander struck out five, walked one and retired 10 in a row before Judge went deep.
Tim Hill (3-0) and Mark Leiter Jr. followed Schmidt with a scoreless inning apiece. Fernando Cruz fanned Santander with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on first to end the eighth, and Luke Weaver finished up in a non-save situation.
