NEW YORK — It takes some serious dedication to wait out a 1:49 rain delay at Yankee Stadium.
Yankees fans could’ve gone home and enjoyed the rest of their rain-soaked Sunday.
Curling up in bed, dining at a nice restaurant or cracking open a cold one at a local bar in the Bronx sound better than watching thunderstorms pelt the tarp at Yankee Stadium for two hours, doesn’t it?
Those that stuck around on Sunday were rewarded, getting to witness the Yankees’ first walk-off win in over three months.
DJ LeMahieu walked it off with a sharp base hit back up the middle off Blue Jays right-hander Bowden Francis, plating Anthony Volpe from third base. The walk-off single to clinch a 4-3 win for the Yankees came after center fielder Trent Grisham bunted Volpe — the automatic runner in extra innings — over to third base to start the inning.
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With the feel-good win, the Yankees have victories in seven of their last eight games. They’ve won each of their last three series after emerging from an elongated skid where they went 10-23 over 33 games.
The Blue Jays produced a slew of hard contact against starter Gerrit Cole, but they only had two runs to show for it early on.
Right fielder Addison Barger traded places with catcher Alejandro Kirk, driving an RBI double into the right-center gap to put Toronto on the board. Leadoff hitter Ernie Clement poked an RBI single into shallow left later in the inning.
Meanwhile, the Yankees’ offense — specifically designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton — couldn’t cash in with runners in scoring position.
The Yankees left the bases loaded in the first as Stanton popped out in foul territory and third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. lined out to third. Stanton then bounced out to first with runners on second and third to end another rally two innings later.
In the fifth, the Blue Jays intentionally walked Aaron Judge with Juan Soto already on first, putting the tying run on base. Toronto also intentionally walked Judge in the Yankees’ win on Saturday, putting him on with nobody on base in the second inning.
Both times, the move worked out for the Blue Jays. Cleanup hitter Austin Wells walked behind Judge but the Blue Jays brought righty Zach Pop in from the bullpen and he struck Stanton out swinging with the bases juiced.
The Yankees broke through offensively in the sixth to tie the score at 2-2. After a pair of singles from Chisholm Jr. and shortstop Anthony Volpe — as well as a double steal from the two speedsters — center fielder Trent Grisham brought in a run with a groundout and No. 9 hitter DJ LeMahieu drove in another with a sacrifice fly.
Soto gave the Yankees a one-run lead with his opposite-field shot to start the seventh, his 28th blast of the year. After yet another intentional walk to Judge, Wells struck out looking and Yankees manager Aaron Boone was ejected by home-plate umpire Tripp Gibson, arguing balls and strikes. One pitch later, on a called strike to Giancarlo Stanton, Gibson threw Yankees hitting coach James Rowson out of the game as well.
Right-hander Tommy Kahnle was tasked with holding on to a one-run lead, summoned to pitch the eighth, but an error from Grisham in center set a rally in motion for Toronto. Grisham and Judge (who started in left with Alex Verdugo out of the lineup) nearly knocked into each other on a routine fly ball from left fielder Joey Loperfido. It bounced off Grisham’s glove as Judge faded behind him at the last second.
Kahnle walked two hitters later in that inning, loading the bases. Closer Clay Holmes came in to try and induce a double play ball with one man out, but on his first pitch to Kirk, the backstop skied a sacrifice fly to deep left.
Holmes got out of the inning from there, but before the Yankees could respond, the tarp was being pulled onto the field for a rain delay. Play didn’t resume for almost two hours.
The Yankees had a chance to take the lead in the bottom of the eighth, but after another intentional walk to Judge — loading the bases with two outs — Wells popped out to right field.
It took until the 10th for either team to score another run. LeMahieu’s walk-off single was the decisive blow, a happy ending to a marathon afternoon.
LOOKING AHEAD
Monday: Off
Tuesday: Yankees vs. Angels, 7:05 p.m., YES. RHP Luis Gil (11-5, 3.20) vs. TBA
Wednesday: Yankees vs. Angels, 7:05 p.m., Amazon. LHP Nestor Cortes (5-9, 4.16) vs. TBA
Thursday: Yankees vs. Angels, 7:05 p.m., YES/MLB Network. RHP Marcus Stroman (7-6, 4.10) vs. TBA
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Max Goodman may be reached at mgoodman@njadvancemedia.com.
