NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge saved a run with a diving catch and scored the go-ahead run on Cody Bellinger’s double as the New York Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 Sunday and closed within two games of the AL East leader.
Making his second appearance in right field since July 25 because of an injured flexor tendon in his right elbow, Judge took a few steps and sprawled to catch George Springer’s 106.4 mph liner to strand Nathan Lukes at second and protect a one-run lead.
Judge had three walks, including in the third when he stole second and came home on Bellinger’s double off the right-center field wall.
Judge had six balls hit to him and made a 70.7 mph throw to second on Ernie Clement’s double in a two-run second. Ben Rice hit a three-run homer in the first off Max Scherzer (5-3) to back Max Fried (16-5), who tied teammate Carlos Rodón and Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta for the major league lead in wins.
Seeking its first AL East since 2015, the Blue Jays (82-61) won eight of 13 games against the Yankees this year and hold the tiebreaker. New York (80-63) won its second straight over Toronto after losing Friday’s series opener and leads for the top AL wild card.
Fried allowed three runs and six hits in seven innings and is 3-0 with a 1.67 ERA in his last four starts after going 2-2 with a 7.00 ERA over five outings when he returned from a blister on his pitching hand.
Toronto closed in the second on Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s RBI single and Luke’s sacrifice fly. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who had eight hits in the series, had a tying double in the third following shortstop Anthony Volpe’s 19th error, most among AL shortstops, on an errant throw on Davis Schneider’s grounder.
Scherzer (5-3), pushed back a day after back stiffness last weekend, gave up four runs and four hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Key Moment
David Bednar got his 22nd save after a one-out single by Lukes, who was caught stealing second by Austin Wells. Devin Williams stranded two in the eighth.
Key Stat
Fried has a 1.67 ERA in his last four starts.
Up Next
Blue Jays: Host Houston on Tuesday.
Yankees RHP Will Warren (8-6, 4.28 ERA) faces Detroit RHP Casey Mize (13-5, 3.87) in the opener of a three-game series Tuesday.
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