Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer walked, and eight Toronto pitchers closed out the game. New York Yankees on Wednesday night with a 5-2 victory that sent the Blue Jays to the American League Championship Series for the first time in nine years.
Nathan Lux provided a two-run single and Addison Barger struck out three of Toronto's 12 hits as the pesky Blue Jays, who fouled on difficult pitches and consistently put the ball in play, rebounded after taking a five-run lead in Tuesday night's loss at Yankee Stadium.
AL East champion Toronto won the best-of-five division series 3-1 and will host Game 1 of the best-of-seven ALCS series against the Detroit Tigers or Seattle Mariners on Sunday.
These teams are set to decide their playoff series Friday in Game 5 in Seattle.
Jeff Hoffman retired Austin Wells with the bases loaded to end the eighth and earned a four-out save for the Blue Jays heading to their eighth AL Championship Series. Toronto's only pennants came in 1992 and 1993, when the club won back-to-back World Series crowns.
Ryan McMahon scored for the Yankees, who failed to prevent elimination for the fourth time this postseason as they failed to repeat as AL champions.
Despite Aaron Judge's stunning playoff performance following his previous October struggles, the 33-year-old star slugger remains without a World Series ring. New York is still seeking its 28th title and first since 2009.
Lux made it 4–1 with a two-run single after an error by Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. cost rookie starter Cam Schlittler a chance to get through the seventh with an inning-ending double play.
Miles Straw, who came off the bench to defend the outfield, added an RBI single in the eighth off Alejandro Kirk's leadoff double.
With the count at 1-all, Ernie Clement led off Toronto in the fifth and advanced to third when No. 9 batter Andres Jimenez hit a single over the middle. Clement, who had nine hits in the series, scored on Springer's sacrifice fly.
Toronto opener Louis Varland, who gave up game-clinching homers to Judge and Chisholm in relief on Tuesday, became the first pitcher in major league history to lose a postseason game and start the next day.
Warland worked one and one-third scoreless innings with two outs, followed by a parade of seven relievers. None of them had more than five outs – but all were effective.
On the other hand, Schlittler joins Dakota Hudson (2019 with St. Louis) as the only rookies in major league history to make his first two postseason starts in potential elimination games.
Schlittler had one of the most impressive performances of the playoffs when he struck out 12 and walked no more than eight innings to beat rival Boston 4-0 in the third winner-take-all game of their wild-card series last Thursday at Yankee Stadium.
This time, the 24-year-old right-hander trailed 1-0 after six pitches. Springer led off with a double and scored when Guerrero hit an 0-2 hit just short of the right field line for an RBI single.
With two in the game, left fielder Cody Bellinger ran 113 feet and caught the ball on the line, saving at least one run, maybe two.
Batting the ninth, McMahon tied the game when he batted 0-2 to a full count leading into the third and reached across the plate to snatch an 83-mph sweeper from left-hander Mason Fluharty through the short porch in right field for his first homer of the postseason.
The 6-foot-6 Schlittler struck out just two times, but he didn't walk a batter in six and one-third effective innings. He was charged with four runs (two earned) and eight hits.
