TORONTO — It was not demise by a thousand paper cuts for the Yankees, but nearly.
More like demise by 4 floor balls to the gap between shortstop and third base, which turned a two-run lead into a two-run deficit in the sixth inning.
The irritating sequence, which also included a pair of errors, was enough to sink the Yankees in a 5-4 loss to the Blue Jays on Monday night time at a sold-out Rogers Centre.
Cody Bellinger homered in the eighth inning to pull the Yankees (48-36) within a run, and then they put runners on first and second with one out. But they could not money in, falling to the Blue Jays (46-38) in the opener of a four-game set.
The Yankees entered the backside of the sixth inning with a 3-1 lead when Davis Schneider ended Carlos Rodón’s night time with a leadoff double.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hits a two-run single during the Blue Jays-Yankees sport on June 30, 2025. AP
Mark Leiter Jr. relieved Rodón to face Myles Straw, who hit a floor ball to the gap at shortstop, where Anthony Volpe made a terrific diving cease. But he then made an ill-advised throw to third making an attempt to nab Schneider, with the misfire getting previous Jazz Chisholm Jr. and permitting Straw to take second.
Pinch-hitter Nathan Lukes came up next and slapped a single through the gap to make it a 3-2 sport.
After Leiter got a strikeout, Ernie Clement hit yet another grounder to deep shortstop where Volpe backhanded it and made a bounce throw to first that was properly late as the Blue Jays tied it up.
Jonathan Loáisiga entered the sport to face George Springer, who loaded the bases when he reached on catcher’s interference, with J.C. Escarra’s glove making contact with Springer’s swing.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. then delivered the huge hit, lacing a two-run rocket through the left facet that gave the Blue Jays a 5-3 lead.
Max Scherzer, making only his third begin of the 12 months and second since returning from the injured record for a thumb subject, retired the first 9 Yankees he confronted before Trent Grisham (who later exited with left hamstring tightness) led off the fourth inning with an opposite-field single.
Aaron Judge reacts during the Yankees-Blue Jays sport on June 30, 2025. AP
Two outs later, after Aaron Judge struck out wanting at the tenth pitch of an at-bat on a borderline call, Chisholm crushed a two-run shot for the 2-0 lead. It marked his fourth home run in his last 5 video games as he remained on fireplace.
After the Blue Jays got one run back off Rodón in the backside of the fifth, Giancarlo Stanton hit an RBI single to put the Yankees up 3-1 in the prime of the sixth.
Their finest scoring likelihood after that came in the eighth following Bellinger’s leadoff home run. The Blue Jays deliberately walked Aaron Judge for the second time and Chisholm moved him up to second on a sacrifice bunt before ex-Yankee Chad Green walked Stanton on 4 pitches.
Max Scherzer pitches during the Blue Jays-Yankees sport on June 30, 2025. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
But Ben Rice’s bullet to left-center subject hung up just lengthy enough, as did Volpe’s sinking liner, with Straw monitoring both down to finish the menace.
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