This Yankees-Blue Jays series had no business ending the way it did. Friday night they got punched in the mouth by Trey Yesavage, Springer went deep off Weathers, and the vibes at Rogers Centre were straight doom. A Cody Bellinger garbage-time blast was the only real bright spot, and even that came with the Yankees buried.
George Springer turned on Weathers and the Rogers Centre crowd lost it.
Saturday flipped it. Cam Schlittler gave up an early Okamoto shot but battled through bad command for 7 innings of 1-run ball on the road, which, as Hubbs noted, is just a special outing for a kid in that building. Jasson Dominguez answered Okamoto by going yard off Kevin Gausman, and suddenly the invasion was on.
The Martian takes Gausman deep and Boone blows a bubble like it's nothing.
Then Paul Goldschmidt did Paul Goldschmidt things. Tied 1-1 in the top of the 9th, the veteran did what veterans do and put one in the seats to flip the game. Volpe made a huge play in the field, Cruz walked the tightrope, Bednar slammed the door. Series tied, momentum stolen, on to Sunday.
Goldy in the 9th, because of course.
Sunday's rubber game was the whole season in microcosm. Volpe wearing 11 instead of his usual number looked like a man possessed — covering ground at short, hustling into second, scoring to push the Yanks ahead 3-2. The catcher spot, which had been an offensive black hole all month, finally chipped in an RBI. And then the 9th happened.
Ben Rice — muchooo arroz — ties it up with a 2-run shot.
Tied 3-3, Ben Rice cranked a 2-run homer to bust it open. Then Jose Caballero, of all people, followed with a 3-run blast — his 6th of the season — and Boone was just standing there in the dugout watching his lineup do the thing. Five runs in the 9th, 8-3, series won in Toronto.
Cabby go boom — the dagger in the 5-run 9th.
Goldy, Ben, Volpe, Cabby, and a bullpen-minus-Bird that locked it down. With the injuries piling up, this is exactly the kind of weekend that buys a team some runway — and gives the fans something to actually feel good about heading into the week.