Jays beat Yanks for 8th straight, 1/2 game back in wild card

NEW YORK (AP) — The Blue Jays gave the Yankees a Bronx battering this week they haven't experienced since they were still the Highlanders.

The message there, according to manager Charlie Montoyo, is that after nearly two years away from their home park in Toronto, going on the road won't faze the Blue Jays.

“It's not easy to come and be relaxed at Yankee Stadium,” he said. “And they did for four games.”

Bo Bichette thumped a leadoff homer in the first inning and singled in the tiebreaking run in the seventh, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his 42nd homer, and Toronto held off skidding New York 6-4 Thursday night for its eighth straight win.

The Blue Jays completed their first four-game sweep in the Bronx since 2003 and pulled within a half-game of New York for the final AL wild card. This run also included three wins at home against Oakland — another team in the playoff hunt — and gave Toronto its longest winning streak since an 11-game spurt in 2015.

It's the first time a team never trailed while sweeping the Yankees over four games in New York since 1908, when the club was known as the Highlanders, according to STATS.

“It's special,” Bichette said. “We feel like everybody can contribute in a lot of different ways.”

The Yankees have lost six straight and 10 of 12, a jarring collapse immediately following a 13-game winning streak that propelled them to the top of the wild-card race. They fell a game behind idle Boston for the lead spot.

“We just had a horrible homestand,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “It's not OK. ... But we've been through this throughout the season. We’re up against it again. We look forward to going out and turning this around tomorrow. We know it can turn just as quick as it’s gone sideways here."

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source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Jays-beat-Yanks-for-8th-straight-1-2-game-back-16447819.php